Welcome! I'm a research fellow at University of Salford studying host-microbe interactions with a focus on the gut microbiomes of wild populations. I'm interested in understanding temporal dynamics and biological rhythms of these microbial communities, and how these dynamics shape animal health and pathogen resistance in the wild. I am increasingly interested in understanding diurnal rhythms of host-associated communities and how these might be changing with global change processes such as urbanization.
My academic journey began with a fascination of bird migration, with my PhD research focusing on host-microbe interactions in long-distance migratory shorebirds. Therefore, I also have a long-standing interest in how migrants transport microbes and pathogens, and how animal movements in general contribute to microbial and pathogen transmission.
Whilst my focus is largely on vertebrate hosts, part of my current research delves into the mechanisms shaping microbial ecology and evolution by investigating whether plasmids (mobile genetic elements that horizontally transfer genes between bacteria) that carry antimicrobial resistance genes confer fitness advantages to bacteria and thereby shape microbial network structure.