“I’m a PhD student investigating the role of bacteriophages in the ageing gut. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria; They don’t infect humans. They play a key role in regulating bacterial populations, helping to maintain balance within ecosystems. Due to their ability to target specific bacteria, they hold great promise for therapeutic applications, particularly in controlling harmful bacterial infections.

My research focuses on whether bacteriophage populations in the healthy human gut change over time as we age. For this, I’m analysing samples from the MOTION study, which collected microbiome data from healthy individuals over 60 years old. Working in Dr. Evelien Adriaenssens’s group, my project also explores the potential for bacteriophages to regulate the gut microbiome, offering a possible method to target harmful bacteria and improve health outcomes.

My journey with bacteriophages began during my undergraduate studies at Makerere University in Uganda. I was part of an African Union and European Union-funded project investigating the use of bacteriophages to treat infections in fish, and I’ve been passionate about their potential ever since.

Choosing a PhD project

The biggest thing to remember when looking for a PhD is that it’s not just about earning the title of ‘Dr.’ I chose my PhD project because I was genuinely interested in phages, and I was also drawn to the potential of this research to help vulnerable people.

During a PhD, you spend about four years working closely within a research group, so finding the right group was important to me. If you’re interested in joining a particular group, I recommend emailing the Group Leader to ask about available PhD positions and whether you can speak with one or two of the current group members.

Most insights about the group’s culture come from talking to its members rather than the Group Leader alone. I spoke with Evelien and several members of the group, and I felt it was the right group, in the right place, at the right time for me.

I’m part of the Microbes, Microbiomes, and Bioinformatics (MMB) Doctoral Training Partnership program. It’s a fantastic PhD program with extensive foundation training to help us develop our skills before we start our individual projects. This means that even if you don’t have much prior experience in your project’s specific area, you’ll gain a foundation of those skills along the way.

Most of the training is face-to-face, and the interaction is fantastic—it’s a very supportive environment. The course leadership is excellent; they recognise that each student learns differently and cater to individual needs. We also have social events as part of the program, allowing us to connect with students from previous and current cohorts.

I really enjoy the environment at the Quadram Institute as well. Even with different research groups, it feels like one big community, where you can ask anyone for help. I find it amazing how interconnected the research is, with strong collaborations across groups.

Moving to the UK gave me mixed feelings. The weather was challenging at first; I arrived just as winter was starting, and it was very cold for me. But the community in Norwich is lovely, welcoming and approachable. While it’s not the most diverse city, it’s incredibly friendly.

Blogging about bacteriophages

Along with my passion for bacteriophages, I’m also interested in science communication. My interest in this area began with a nature blog. I had a website about nature back home, where I wrote about national parks in Tanzania and across Africa. While running the blog, I realized that while people could find general information on national parks from many established websites, they had limited access to the science behind conservation.

When I began writing about conservation science, I discovered that much of this information is inaccessible to the public because scientific papers are often written in complex language. Around the same time, as I started my undergraduate degree, I was introduced to microbiology, bacteria, and viruses. I thought, why not try communicating this science, too?

In my second year, I started a blog on bacteriophages called The Phage blog. I enjoy writing blogs, as they keep me up-to-date with the latest in bacteriophage research. I also like learning the technical side of managing a website. I started on Blogspot and later moved to WordPress. The website traffic varies—some days, we get a hundred views, and other days, over a thousand.

Translating complex science into accessible language is something I love, though it can be challenging. As a scientist working with bacteriophages, I sometimes worry that something I consider simple might still be too technical for readers without a science background. That’s a tricky balance to strike.

Occasionally, I’ll write and publish a blog post, only to realize a month or two later that the way I presented the information could be clearer. I’m still learning about phages and developing as an independent researcher, so there are times when I miss certain nuances in the research.

Phage research is an evolving field, and our understanding is constantly changing. Sometimes a hypothesis will emerge, only for new research to challenge it a few months later. This dynamic nature of the field makes science communication both exciting and demanding.

Three bacteriophage blogs I’ve written which I think are exciting are:

• How phages are the microscopic enemy of the dairy industry – I found writing this blog interesting because it is the opposite to most applications of phages. Usually, bacteriophages are used to remove bad bacteria. But in the dairy industry you need good bacteria to make yoghurt and kefir, so you want to remove phages that would target the good bacteria.
• A virus that attaches to another virus – This article was about how some phages depend on other phages. They attach themselves in the neck region of another phage. They are called satellite viruses. It is the most popular blog on the website so far.
• Kimchi LAB Strains that defeat phage infection – This article showed how important the microbial world is to our food. And without the microbial world, maybe we would not have been able to get these beautiful tasty flavours.

Learning skills in science communication

My advice for anyone interested in science communication is to always consider your audience. Science communication is about empathy, not just sympathy—you need to step into the shoes of your readers, not just think from the perspective of the writer.

For instance, I sometimes receive feedback from scientists who expect technical details like ‘a PCR was run under X conditions to produce this result.’ But for someone without a science background, that explanation might be confusing. Instead, I might write, ‘We used a technology that changes temperatures to replicate a section of DNA.’ This way, the information is accessible without overwhelming the reader with jargon.

Being empathetic means thinking carefully about what will make sense to your audience. If a reader without a science background encounters a technical term like PCR without context, they might lose interest. But accessible language isn’t only important for non-scientists; it also helps you communicate with scientists in other fields. For example, The Phage blog has around 3,000 followers on LinkedIn, most of whom are scientists from fields outside of bacteriophage research.

Through blogging, I’ve gained experience in science communication, especially in writing and editing. I’m now excited to expand my skills into video production and graphic design for science communication. Recently, I’ve been working with the Quadram communications team to learn video-making, and I’ve found it enjoyable. At first, video production seems complicated, but once you step out of your comfort zone, it becomes easier. My main advice: keep backups!

I’m currently working on a video featuring my supervisor, Dr Evelien Adriaenssens, who is also a vice president of the ICTV, discussing the recent changes in bacteriophage classification.

After completing my PhD, I hope to turn my passion for science communication and teaching into a career.”