About the blog

I set up this blog to support my textbook “Marine Microbiology — Ecology and Applications” first published in 2002 and now in in its Third Edition, published by CRC Press in 2019. The overall aim of the book is to bring together an understanding of the exciting and fast-moving field of marine microbial ecology with an appreciation of the applications for environmental management, human welfare and economic activity in a period of rapid global change. The book features numerous boxes to aid students’ interest and understanding and to encourage exploration of current high-profile research topics.  The aim of the blog is to provide snippets of recent research news and longer articles discussing particular research themes. This should provide a useful extension to the book between editions, both to new students and experienced researchers seeking to keep abreast of recent developments. We hope you find it interesting.

A bit about me. I am an Honorary Fellow at the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, having recently retired from my post as Associate Professor in Microbiology. In my 40+ years of teaching and mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students, I have been passionate about enthusing them to appreciate the fundamental importance of microbial life and to understand the astonishing new discoveries that are being made through the application of new research methods. My particular research interests are in the interactions between symbiotic and pathogenic microbes and their hosts and I have studied microbial diseases in plants, invertebrate animals, fish, and humans — I am a strong advocate of a comparative approach. My most recent research has taken me into various aspects of marine microbiology, including coral health and disease and the effects of environmental stress on microbial community structure in corals and other marine invertebrates. I graduated from University College London, with a PhD from Birmingham University. I have have held visiting professor posts at James Cook University/Australian Institute of Marine Science, St George’s University, Grenada, Central University of Venezuela, University of Victoria, Canada and numerous editorial and reviewer positions.