Profile

Born and raised in beautiful Norwich, I live with my partner and 2 totally epic daughters. I have four passions, in no particular order:

1. Microbes – From diarrhoea causers, to food digesters, to flesh eaters, there’s a microbe out there for everyone and anyone. You’re covered in easily >1,000,000 of the little guys per square centimetre of skin, so might as well embrace them! I love learning about the good, the bad, and the just plain weird ones that exist in the world.
2. The planet – I don’t just love the microscopic, I think all organisms are cool, and if we want to keep having plenty around to enjoy, we need to look after our planet too! I will happily talk your ears off about the benefits of recycling and renewable energy, and how we can all make our environment a better place for everybody.
3. My family – Part of the reason I’m an eco-nut is that I have a family and friends who I would like to see more of, and hope we can all live in a peaceful, safe and sustainable world.
4. Board games – If I’m not researching cool bacteria, trying to save the planet, or being tired out by my girls, then you’ll probably find me sat at a table with some friends, starting intently at some little bits of plastic and cardboard, before jumping up, punching the air with my fist, and shouting “That’s a 5 VP bonus for my completed objective and 10 extra soldiers! HA!!” Join the cardboard revolution!

I mostly poke and prod the gut pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium (just one of over 2500 different types of Salmonella!), using pipettes, petri dishes and programming (among other stuff).

I spend half my time in the lab, working out what they do in response to different environmental conditions, and the other half sat at a computer looking at their genomes.

We look at the connection between the genes that they have in them, to the physical characteristics they have, and how this makes it easier for them to survive in your food. If you’ve ever been to a BBQ and had a dodgy sausage, it was probably Salmonella that made you ill, and we are trying to work out how to stop that from happening!

I usually spend the mornings catching up with important emails or writing up results from the day or week before.

Then it’s into the lab to set up some experiments or finish other ones off.

The afternoon will often involve computer work, as I analyse some genomes or data and come to some conclusions.

The great thing about science, is that there isn’t really a typical day. You could do loads of lab work one month, and loads of computer work the next! Just see where the microbes takes you!