Andrew Nelson is Senior Scientific Officer (Genomics) within the NU-OMICS DNA Sequencing Research Facility. He graduated from Sunderland University with a BSc. Biomedical Sciences in 2007. While studying for his undergraduate degree he completed his IBMS certificate of competence portfolio in the Microbiology Department at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne.  On completion of the degree he began a PhD under the supervision of Prof. Stephen Cummings at Northumbria University in collaboration with Prof. John Perry at the Freeman Hospital to study polymicrobial infections of the cystic fibrosis lung which he completed in 2011.

As a Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Nelson began using 454 pyrosequencing in collaboration with P&G to investigate the role of microorganisms in malodour. He then developed his technical expertise by undertaking research projects to investigate the serum proteome in humans for biomarkers of disease and then to identify potential novel vaccine candidates against multidrug resistant bacteria. He then returned to work with Prof. Cummings in 2014 to develop multi-omic projects on the vaginal microbiome and preterm infant gut microbiome.

Dr Nelson is the laboratory lead of the DNA sequencing research facility at Northumbria University, NU-OMICS. This is an outfacing service that is linked to both academic and industrially linked DNA sequencing projects.

Dr Nelson’s research is led by his technical expertise is genomic, proteomic and metabolomic projects he developed throughout his career. He uses these approaches to understand how microbes form communities from pioneer species and how succession occurs. Understanding these processes will allow us to create a framework and develop actions that disrupt community assembly.

1. Preterm infant infection
2. Adult lung microbiome
3. Biofouling