Early Career Scientist Research Symposium 2022

Robin Dawson

University of East Anglia

Kelly Capper-Parkin

Sheffield Hallam University

The effects of combined biocides and quorum sensing inhibitors against uropathogenic E. coli  

I'm a final year PhD student at Sheffield Hallam University. My PhD project investigates novel coatings to prevent uropathogenic E. coli biofilm formation on a urinary catheter by combining biocides with quorum sensing inhibitors. 

Elizabeth Archer

University of East Anglia

Climate Change, Vibrio vulnificus Risk and Human Health in North America

Lizzie is a third-year PhD student based at the University of East Anglia working in partnership with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). Her research explores the impacts of climate change on marine Vibrio bacteria and the consequences for human health. A marine biologist by training, Lizzie is passionate about the interconnectedness of human well-being and the health of our oceans.

Thomas Thompson

Queen's University Belfast

Evolution and Mechanism of Action of Antibiotic Resistance in Archaea

Thomas is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast under the supervision of Prof. Brendan Gilmore. To date, Thomas has published several peer-reviewed papers and spoken at numerous national and international conferences in the areas of antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic discovery, and biofilm resistance/tolerance. Currently, Thomas is involved in a tri-partite (US/NI/ROI) consortium that is investigating the role of cold atmospheric plasma for its medical potential in bone-related infections.  

Joanna Stephens

University of Nottingham

Josephine Giard

Heriot-Watt University

Investigation of lasso peptide diversity for novel drug discovery

I am currently undertaking a PhD at Heriot-Watt University working on the analysis of metagenomic sequencing data for the discovery of novel antimicrobials. Using samples from different environments, I am assessing the potential of biosynthesis of secondary metabolites of diverse microbial communities. During the first year of my project, I utilised several computational tools to analyse sequencing data and to mine microbial genomes for potential novel biosynthetic gene clusters. Currently, I am transferring my data analysis results to the research laboratory by developing cloning strategies to facilitate the heterologous expression of targeted gene clusters. In my free time I play a lot of football and I like to meet up with my friend for a round of board games.

Lucy Owen

De Montfort University

Stability of Human Coronavirus OC43 on Leather and Viral Transfer to Different Surfaces 

Dr Lucy Owen RSci MRSB is a Research Fellow in the Infectious Disease Research Group at De Montfort University (DMU), having completed a PhD in Microbiology in 2019 investigating the use of natural products as antibiotic adjuvants. Her current research focuses on the decontamination of healthcare textiles, and she was recently involved in internationally recognised research on the stability of coronaviruses during laundering. She also has an interest in the development of disinfectants, laundry supplements/technologies and antimicrobial textiles.  

Gurdeep Singh

University of Manchester

Amira Hamdy Hassan

United Arab Emirates University

Fritz Ka-Ho

University of Bath