1) If I had to describe what I do in 3 sentences I’d say…

I use cutting-edge molecular tools to understand the diversity, function and distribution of the most important organisms on the planet. I do this in a variety of habitats ranging from the ocean to oil refineries and on scales ranging from the micro-scale to the global.

I am interested in how we can put microbiomes to good use: to clean-up contaminated sites, to improve food security and improve human health.

2) This isn’t where I started out, however. My career path to date has looked like this…

Whilst I have always worked with microbes, I began studying viruses infecting corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Then I switched to hypersaline mud metagenomes for my PhD. before “setting sail” and becoming a marine microbiologist during my first post-doc.

In my most recent position I work on soil microbiomes and have a more applied focus to investigate the degradation of contaminants by microorganisms. I still work collaboratively on projects from a wide variety of habitats however – I think it is beneficial to maintain connections across different areas of your work.

I was fortunate enough to begin my research career when tools such as metagenomics and next-generation DNA sequencing emerged, and these tools have been the focus of my work across my career path.

3) The reason I decided to join the npj Biofilms and Microbiomes Community is…

I think forums such as this are an excellent way to enhance the literature by facilitating the active discussion of research and building networks of people with similar interests.

It is also a good way for students, early career researchers and an interested public to interact with each other and with more senior researchers. Given the multi-disciplinary nature of biofilm and microbiome research, it is good to see a centralized location for this topic that can bring together diverse applications and skills.

4) My key areas of interest, on which I’d especially like to hear from community members, are…

I am a microbial ecologist. I would like to hear from people interested in harnessing microbiomes and biofilms to perform useful environmental functions such as bioremediation. Central to this is discussing how the metabolic function of microbiomes is influenced by changing environmental variables. I am also interested in the biogeographic distribution of microorganisms and how this influences the function of microbiomes.

On a technical level I am interested in using metagenomics, 16S-rDNA sequencing and network analysis to understand microbial ecology.

5) And if I had to choose one topic on which I’m especially able to answer questions it’d be…

As above: microbial biogeography, linking microbiome structure and function to environmental variables and using metagenome and amplicon sequencing and its associated software.

If you are interested in my areas of research, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below, send me a message or ask a question via Q&A.