The Quadram Institute is pleased to welcome Dr Alison Mather as a new Research Leader, working in the area of microbes in the food chain.

Alison’s background is in genomic epidemiology, using whole genome sequencing to understand the evolution and ecology of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Alison joins us from the University of Cambridge, where she used various sequencing technologies to build a detailed understanding of how bacteria and AMR move between different host populations.

Within the Quadram Institute, she will be concentrating on major zoonotic pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli. Part funded by a Fellowship from the Food Standards Agency, she will be studying these bacteria in the food chain, using approaches from genomics and epidemiology to understand the relative contributions of food (both domestic and imported), humans and animals to the burden of bacterial disease and AMR. Her work will also encompass studies of non-pathogenic bacteria, to understand how they may act as a reservoir of AMR genes.

The overall goal is to develop a better understanding of the sources of bacterial infection and AMR, which can be used to inform intervention and surveillance strategies.

Alison said: “I am delighted to be joining the Quadram Institute, and to build on my previous work using genomics to address bacterial ecology and antimicrobial resistance in the food chain. I look forward to strengthening my existing external collaborations, as well as developing new partnerships, especially within the institute and on the Norwich Research Park.”