About
We are broadly interested in understanding what makes microbes such experts to live almost everywhere and to successfully occupy new habitats. We investigate genomic traits that re-route bacterial core regulatory networks, and as such make bacteria resilient to survive in harsh conditions, fight viral predators, and colonize new hosts.
Group members
Kathryn Burdon, PhD student
Charlotte Hill, MRes student
Molly Lockyer, MSci student
Aafrin Shaikh, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, third-year project
Poppy Barnett, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, third-year project
Thomas Lee, BSc (Hons) Biology, third-year project
Zeynep Yetkin, BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, third-year project
Kavilaish Ravindran, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, third-year project
Alumni
2025 Amy Holtom, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, third-year project
2025 William Easeman, BSc (Hons) Biology, third-year project
** NEW
PhD Opportunity: RNA phages in the wild
Ready to uncover the overlooked players in microbial ecology? Join me, Dr Marc Dumont and Prof Willie Wilson in a project that explores how RNA phages (viruses that infect bacteria) influence microbial ecosystems.
IGNITE - NERC Doctoral Landscape Award
Details here
Apply here
** NEW
PhD Opportunity: Advancing urinary tract infection (UTI) treatment through on-chip technological innovation
This interdisciplinary PhD project will use cutting-edge lab-on-a-chip technology that mimics the human urinary tract to model infections realistically and test novel treatments, including phage therapy. The goal? Faster, smarter treatment strategies to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes.
This work is particularly relevant given the high incidence of UTIs among women in operational environments, where rapid, effective, and resistance-aware treatments are critical.
Supervisory team: Dr Nela Nikolic, Prof Hywel Morgan, Dr Franklin Nobrega
CISDnS CDT - The EPSRC/MOD Centre for Doctoral Training in Complex Integrated Systems for Defence and Security
Co-funded by Institute for Life Sciences Southampton IfLS
Details here
Apply here