Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in the following areas:
- Synthetic biology and genetic engineering of bacteriophages and their proteins
- Structural biology of phage enzymes with antibacterial and antibiofilm properties, including endolysins and depolymerases
- Phage therapy
- Viromics and mobilomics
- Microbiome analysis and manipulation
- Microbial bioinformatics
Current Research Opportunities
Public outreach & key achievements
Member of:
- Royal Society of Biology (RSB NI branch Secretary)
- Microbiology Society
- Society for Applied Microbiology
- International Society for Viruses of Microorganisms
Visiting Scientist:
- San Diego State University, CA, USA (2019)
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, England (2018)
Interviews and blog contributions:
- NI Healthcare (2019)
- How to manage and influence the skin microbiome (National Biofilms Innovation Centre)
- Bacteriophage and biofilms (National Biofilms Innovation Centre)
Research students
| PhD Title | Investigation of phage therapy approaches as an attractive alternative to antibiotics for bio-control of genitourinary infections |
| Name | Akash Shambharkar |
| Years of Study | 2021 - 2024 |
| Country | India |
| PhD Title | Liposome loaded phage cocktail to enhance the potential of phage therapy against intracellular bacteria |
| Name | Xinyao He |
| Years of Study | 2021 - 2024 |
| Country | China |
| PhD Title | Improved Delivery of Bacteriophages and Phage-derived Antibacterial Agents |
| Name | Yuyang Cao |
| Years of Study | 2023 - 2026 |
| Country | China |
Alumni: Where are they now
| PhD Title | Investigation of novel biocontrol agents against biofilms formed by human pathogens |
| Name | Dr Cormac Rice |
| Year of Study | 2018 - 2021 |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Current Position | Senior NGS Bioinformatician & Microbial Genomics Team Lead, Randox, NI |
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