Mark Kirkwood

Biography

Mark Kirkwood was awarded a PhD in 2013 for work at the University of East Anglia with the marine microbe, Roseovarius nubinhibens, focusing on metabolic pathways that result in production of dimethyl sulphide, a characteristic smell of the seaside. His work now involves the study of genotypic and phenotypic variation of variants of Salmonella Typhimurium, that exhibit distinct risk to food safety. Although Salmonella is the second most common bacterium associated with gastroenteritis around the world, we have found that distinct variants present different risks to the public. He is now applying a whole genome approach, combining investigations into the pathogenesis and environmental survival of these strains, with functional genomic techniques and phylogenetic analysis, to elucidate micro- or macro-evolutionary events that account for diverse behaviour of the variants. Their long-term aim is to identify the molecular basis of risk to food safety to improve quantitative risk assessment, pathogen surveillance and identify potential targets to intervene in contamination of the food chain.

Research Interest

Genomics and Bioinformatics