DR DEAN WALSH
Following an MSc in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Nottingham, I then studied for a PhD as part of the University of Nottingham's BBSRC DTP. My PhD was supervised by Professor Kim Hardie and titled 'Investigating how widely used biocides alter the physiology of Staphylococcus aureus'. I investigated how exposure to low levels of triclosan, a widely used biocide known to accumulate in the human body, could induce high levels of antibiotic tolerance in S. aureus biofilms and greatly alter biofilm composition and structure. I have presented my PhD work at both national and international conferences, as well as to MPs at the Houses of Parliament as part of STEM for Britain. Following completion of my PhD, I remained at the University of Nottingham to undertake a 1-year postdoctoral project in collaboration with Unilever. This project investigated the use of pH-sensitive nanosensors for mapping the pH of Streptococcus mutans biofilms grown in a flow-cell system. This biofilm model was used as a platform to test new oral care products to determine whether they could prevent S. mutans acidifying of the surrounding environment, therefore preventing the formation of dental caries. In February 2022, I began working on a Monash Warwick Alliance funded postdoctoral project at the University of Warwick in the group of Dr Freya Harrison. This project focuses on developing an in-vitro biofilm model for ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). We seek to use this model as a platform to test both current and emerging therapies against relevant VAP pathogens in a VAP mimicking environment. |
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