My research group studies the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance with focus on understanding how, where, when and why bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance.

I am particularly interested in bacterial biofilms and we are investigating how bacteria adapt to antimicrobial pressure within a biofilm.

My group uses a variety of contemporary molecular microbiology approaches to study bacterial survival and resistance mechanisms in conditions relevant to the food chain.

Before joining the Quadram Institute I led a research group at the University of Birmingham, which I established during a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship studying the evolution of biocide-antibiotic cross resistance.

I have published over 60 articles relating to antimicrobials and have acted as an editor for the Journals of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Medical Microbiology as well as PLOS ONE.

Key Publications

Webber MA, Whitehead RN, Mount M, Loman NJ, Pallen MJ, Piddock LJ Parallel evolutionary pathways to antibiotic resistance selected by biocide exposure.  J Antimicrob Chemother. 2015 Aug;70(8):2241-8.  PMID:25953808

Blair JM, Webber MA, Baylay AJ, Ogbolu DO, Piddock LJ.  (2015) Molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2015 Jan;13(1):42-51.  Review. PMID:25435309

Baugh S, Phillips CR, Ekanayaka AS, Piddock LJ, Webber MA. Inhibition of multidrug efflux as a strategy to prevent biofilm formation. Antimicrob Chemother. 2014 Mar;69(3):673-81.  PMID:24176982

Webber MA, Ricci V, Whitehead R, Patel M, Fookes M, Ivens A, Piddock LJ. (2013) Clinically relevant mutant DNA gyrase alters supercoiling, changes the transcriptome, and confers multidrug resistance.  MBio. 2013 Jul 23;4(4). pii: e00273-13. PMID:23882012

Baugh S, Ekanayaka AS, Piddock LJ, Webber MA (2012) Loss of or inhibition of all multidrug resistance efflux pumps of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium results in impaired ability to form a biofilm.  J Antimicrob Chemother. Oct;67(10):2409-17.  PMID: 22733653