What area best describes your area of work?

Research

What is the name of your employer/company/institution?

University of Ulster

What position do you hold?

Professor of Microbiology

Experience and expertise in food safety

25+ years of research experience in following areas: Molecular techniques for diagnostic microbiology and epidemiology, with a major focus on difficult to culture pathogens, particularly the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum. Pathogenic mechanisms of Cryptosporidium species. Bacterial population analysis based on ribosomal RNA sequence determination. Role of protozoa in the ecology of pathogenic bacteria with particular emphasis on Campylobacter species. Bacterial biofilm production by respiratory pathogens with emphasis on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Factors influencing toxin production in Clostridum botulinum. Structure and function relationships in outer membrane components of gram negative bacterial pathogens with a particular emphasis on regular surface protein arrays in Aeromonas species. 60 full, peer-reviewed papers in primary research journals 11 full, peer-reviewed reviews in scientific journals 7 book chapters in specialist research publications Editor of one volume of conference proceedings 80 presentations at international research conferences