Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical SciencesMicrobiology & industrial biotechnology

Microorganisms are fundamentally important to every process on the planet including global nutrient cycling and influencing the lives of humans, plants and animals as key members of the microbiome or as pathogens. The Microbiology and Industrial Biotechnology Research group at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science has research interests that encompass a wide range of microbiology and biotechnology with a clear focus on the basic biology of microorganisms (Herron, Hoskisson, Humphrey, Javelle, Roberts, Walker, Wang) ecology, evolution, discovery and production of specialised metabolites from bacteria (Herron, Hoskisson, Pritchard, Walker, Wang), Antimicrobial resistant infections (Herron, Hoskisson, Humphrey, Marshall, Roberts, Walker), Host-pathogen interactions (Humphrey, Marshall, Roberts, Walker), discovery of novel therapies to combat a range of microbial infections (Hoskisson, Roberts), Genomics of microorganisms (Herron, Hoskisson, Humphrey, Pritchard, Roberts, Wang), Computational biology (Pritchard), identification and characterisation of drug targets (Hoskisson, Javelle, Roberts), vaccine development (Roberts), Diagnostics (Hoskisson, Pritchard).

The Microbiology and Industrial Biotechnology Research has strong links with Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre and Scottish University Life Science Alliance.

Funding in the Microbiology and Industrial Biotechnology Research group is from BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, iUK, IBioIC, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society, Tenovus Scotland and a number of Industrial sources.

We are always happy to hear from prospective PhD students and post-doctoral researchers who would like to come and work with us - please email the appropriate research group member below to discuss funding opportunities.

Dr Eva Heinz

Dr Eva Heinz

Senior Lecturer in Microbiology

Our research focuses on the evolution of microbial interactions, particularly bacteria with their hosts. We work on different systems, both the 'friendly' end of symbiotic interactions (mosquito microbiomes, mosquito-Wolbachia interactions) in the broader context of developing novel vector control tools; and bacterial pathogens, in particular opportunistic pathogens in the course of the current AMR pandemic (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli) and with a focus on putative vaccine targets. We use a broad range of bioinformatics (protein families and profiles, population genomics) and molecular biology techniques (microbiology, in-house sequencing, microscopy). Our work is highly collaborative and we work closely with a range of other groups across the UK and internationally, in particular with colleagues in countries endemic for the respective diseases.

Eva Heinz is also active as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Microbiology Society's journal Microbial Genomics, and promotes a better research environment with appropriate recognition of researchers from low- and middle-income countries.
 
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Professor Paul A Hoskisson

Professor Paul A Hoskisson

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Engineering Biology and Professor of Molecular Microbiology

Research in the Hoskisson laboratory is focussed on the evolution of metabolism and biosynthesis of specialised metabolites by Streptomyces and on the biology of the causative agent of Diphtheria, ​Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Paul was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2021 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2016. Paul leads the Microbiology and Industrial Biotechnology Research group and is a member of Microbiology Society Council.

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Dr Suzie Humphrey

Lecturer in Microbiology

Research in the Humphrey lab seeks to understand the molecular basis of horizontal gene transfer and the biology of mobile genetic elements in bacteria of clinical importance. Our work principally focusses on determining the contribution of plasmids and bacteriophages to gene exchange, antimicrobial resistance transmission, and host-pathogen interactions in Enterococcus spp. We are also investigating the role of bacteriophages in enabling niche adaptation by Enterocloster spp. during times of intestinal microbiome imbalance, as well as their potential use as alternative therapeutic agents for treating dysbiosis.

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Helina Marshall

Dr Helina Marshall

Chancellors Fellow

The Marshall lab seeks to investigate the interactions between commensals and pathogens and to explore the mechanisms by which bacteria adapt to hosts in the face of immune challenge. Our work focuses on Streptococcus pneumoniae and Salmonella enterica.

Helina is also the Editor-in-Chief of the UK Microbiology Society’s Open Access Platform, Access Microbiology.

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Dr Arnaud Javelle

Lecturer

Research in the Javelle Group is focused on membrane proteins involved in transport of ions across cellular membranes and in signalling processes relating to ion availability. Studies of membrane transporters/channels have had a great impact on our understanding human disease and drug design with around  30% of current clinically marked drugs targeted to these proteins. We use well-studied bacterial model organisms and multidisciplinary approaches to study ammonium transporters from the Amt/Rh family and the SulP/SLC26A family of sulphate permeases.

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Dr Leighton Pritchard

Dr Leighton Pritchard

Senior Lecturer

Research in my group aims to understand biological systems and processes through computing, mathematics, and statistics. Our work includes: computational biology tools; microbial genomics, taxonomic classification and phylogenetics; host-microbe interactions; molecular diagnostics; and systems and synthetic biology.

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Professor Craig Roberts

Professor Craig Roberts

Professor

Research in the Roberts Group is concerned with (i) the interaction of Toxoplasma gondii with it’s host and how this knowledge can be harnessed to effectively control or vaccinate against this parasite (ii) the influence of sex and pregnancy associated hormones on infection and immunity (iii) identification, validation and exploitation of antimicrobial targets in Acanthamoeba and (iv) Vaccines and improved chemotherapies for difficult to treat prokaryotic and viral pathogens.

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Professor Daniel Walker

Professor of Microbiology

Research in the Walker lab is focused on the study of narrow-spectrum antibiotics known as protein bacteriocins (PBs). We aim to understand the molecular details of how the PBs selectively target and kill bacteria and to use this information to design and produce engineered PBs with greater efficacy.

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Dr Hua Wang

Chancellors Fellow in Microbial Biochemistry

We are an interdisciplinary research lab specialising in mycobacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis and leprosy, and emerging non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. One of our objectives is to unravel the molecular mechanism by which mycobacterial pathogens utilise the 'Pigments of Life' during infection.

The ‘Pigments of Life’ are tetrapyrrole molecules shaped as rings or horseshoes that hold in their centre a metal ion. These pigments not only add colour to our surroundings but also play indispensable roles in vital functions across all living organisms. Examples include chlorophyll, the green pigment pivotal for photosynthesis in plants, haem, the red pigment crucial for oxygen transport in animals, and vitamin B12, a red-orange pigment essential for various biological processes across all domains of life.

In parallel, we are dedicated to pioneering infection models and developing therapeutic strategies (antibiotics and vaccines) for mycobacterial diseases.

Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to the understanding of bacterial biology, gain new perspectives, and achieve scientific breakthroughs to improve human health.

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Postgraduate opportunities

Our Graduate School offers research training in exciting scientific areas

99.99% of biological diversity on earth is microbial

Acathamoeba trophozoites

Biomedical Science Masters courses

We offer both MRes and MSc courses in biomedical sciences which have projects in various research areas related to our research.