I am an Environmental Molecular Microbiologist interested in the function and community composition of microbes in the environment. I have a diverse research portfolio focused on projects related to the biodegradation of oil, methane oxidation, geothermal energy, and the effects of pesticide use on microbes in agricultural soils. I have tested novel biotechnologies for their ability to deliver nutrients to oil spills to increase bioremediation rates. My research aims to mechanistically understand the role of microbes in geochemical processes and the impacts that environmental change or engineering interventions have had or will have. I enjoy working on collaborative ventures with both industry and academia with interdisciplinary teams, which has led to successful publications in e.g. Environmental Microbiology, Frontiers in Microbiology and Nature. My current research interests include microbe:textile biohybrids, built environment microbiomes, carbonate precipitation in microbial mats and engineered soils, aerobic methane oxidation in marine sediments, oil bioremediation and/or carbon sequestration using waste mineral amendments and microbially-influenced oil field issues. I am Assistant Professor in Microbial Environments, affiliated with the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE), Applied Sciences,  Northumbria University.

Environmental Microbiology
Anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation
Aerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation
Petroleum microbiology
Oil spill bioremediation
Methane cycling (methanogenesis and methanotrophy)
Carbonate precipitation in hypersaline microbial mats
Carbonate precipitation in soils
Response of soil microbial communities to pesticides
Use of wastes for soil hydrocarbon bioremediation and CO2 sequestration
Built environment microbiomes (air and surface communities)
Microbe:Material interactions and biohybrids