This is a well-established and internationally recognised group, led by Associate Professor Amanda Jones, who undertake work in the following four key activity areas of activity:
1) Biotechnology (*in collaboration with Applied Chemistry)
- Microbial enzymes as biocatalysts (through our Nzomics Innovation Unit*)
- Novel antimicrobials*
- Microbial diagnostics*
- Microbial induced calcite precipitation
2) Ecology
- Molecular ecology and the microbiome in human health
- Food chains and agriculture
- Environmental microbiology and extreme environments
3) Pathogenicity
- Control of parasitic arthropods
- Virulence determinants in pathogenic streptococci & mycolic acid containing actinobacteria
- Eukaryotic and prokaryotic virology
4) Systematics
- Systematics and taxonomy of bacteria
- Genomics, metabolomics and proteomics of prokaryotes
- Bacterial cell envelope architecture and biosynthesis
The Exploring and Exploiting Microbial Diversity Research Group aims to contribute applied science approaches to underpinning aspects of healthcare and extending understanding of disease processes. We are funded by industry, charities, the European Union and research council grants.
We welcome interest from potential doctoral and post-doctoral researchers interested in working with us.
Facilities
Our research is supported by biochemistry, molecular biology and -omics laboratories with extensive capacity for microbial cell culture.
Key resources include:
- High throughput DNA sequencing platforms, including PacBIO (see NU-OMICS)
- Proteomics facilities
- Bioinformatics infrastructure
- Pilot scale fermentation suite
- Analytical chemistry
