About

I am the Global Lead for Microbiology, responsible for delivering microbiology across CABI’s global remit. Over my 30-year research career, I have worked in various areas of microbiology from pure and applied mycology, focusing on the genomic and functional stability of fungi, through to microbial communities. I have a specific interest in the application and development of cryopreservation protocols for recalcitrant fungi and to ensure the retention of functional potential in microbiome samples. I was honoured to curate CABI’s Microbial Resources Collection on behalf of CABI’s Member Countries for a significant part of my career. I continue to play an active role in various international activities to ensure that collection and biobanking infrastructure develop to meet the needs of the microbiome research community, especially in agri-food.

I lead the BBSRC-funded UK crop microbiome cryobank and coordinate work-packages in two significant EU-funded projects – Microbes4Climate and the Microbiome Biobanking (RI) Enabler. I am a partner on the Imperial-led Leverhulme Research Centre for the Holobiont and work closely with collaborators in South Korea, establishing a green microbiome biobank.

I also have several national and international roles, including as a board member of the International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research and as a committee member for the US culture collection network (USCCN).