Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical SciencesMicrobiology & industrial biotechnology

Dr Katherine Duncan

Senior Lecturer in Microbiology

The Duncan lab investigates the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on microbial chemistry for antibiotic biodiscovery. Comparative ‘omics approaches, including genomics and metabolomics, underpin our research.

Profile links:

• Dr Katherine Duncan
• Dr Katherine Duncan ORCID
• Dr Katherine Duncan Scholar
• Dr Katherine Duncan Twitter
• katherine.duncan@strath.ac.uk

Dr Paul Herron

Senior Lecturer in Microbiology

Research in the Herron Group is focussed on chromosome segregation in Actinobacteria, genomics of Actinobacteria, microbial ecology and interactions between bacteriophages and their host.

Profile links:

• Dr Paul Herron
• Dr Paul Herron ORCID
• Dr Paul Herron Scholar
• Dr Paul Herron Twitter
• paul.herron@strath.ac.uk

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.

Profile links:

• Professor Paul Hoskisson
• Professor Paul Hoskisson ORCID
• Professor Paul Hoskisson Scholar
• Professor Paul Hoskisson Twitter
• paul.hoskisson@strath.ac.uk

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.

Profile links:

• Dr Suzie Humphrey ORCID
• Dr Suzie Humphrey Scholar
• Dr Suzie Humphrey Twitter
• suzie.humphrey@strath.ac.uk

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.

Profile links:

• Dr Helina Marshall
• Dr Helina Marshall ORCID
• Dr Helina Marshall Scholar
• Dr Helina Marshall Twitter
• helina.marshall@strath.ac.uk

Dr Arnaud Javelle

Chancellor’s Fellow

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.

Profile links:

• Dr Arnaud Javelle
• Dr Arnaud Javelle ORCID
• Dr Arnaud Javelle Scholar
• Dr Arnaud Javelle Twitter
• arnaud.javelle@strath.ac.uk

Dr Leighton Pritchard

Chancellors Fellow

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.

Profile links:

• Dr Leighton Pritchard
• Dr Leighton Pritchard ORCID
• Dr Leighton Pritchard Scholar
• Dr Leighton Pritchard Twitter
• leighton.pritchard@strath.ac.uk

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.

Profile links:

• Professor Craig Roberts
• Professor Craig Roberts ORCID
• Professor Craig Roberts Scholar
• Professor Craig Roberts Twitter
• c.w.roberts@strath.ac.uk

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.

Profile links:

• Professor Daniel Walker ORCID
• Professor Daniel Walker Twitter
• daniel.walker.100@strath.ac.uk

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.

Profile links:

• Dr Hua Wang
• Dr Hua Wang ORCID
• Dr Hua Wang Twitter
• hua.wang@strath.ac.uk