Following a PhD in microbiology from the University of Birmingham, I remained at the University as a lecturer in the Institute of Public & Environmental Health for five years before moving to Aston University in 2000. At Aston, I have continued to pursue my research interest in the molecular epidemiology of foodborne pathogens and other important clinical bacteria including MRSA and Clostridium difficile. I was appointed as Senior Lecturer and Director of Biology / Biomedical Sciences in 2005 and promoted to Reader and Head of Department in 2009. I have served as the Honorary General Secretary of the Society for Applied Microbiology and held several journal editorial positions. I am a Fellow of the Society for Biology and the Institute of Biomedical Science. Through my work with the media I am a regular contributor to print and broadcast articles in the field of popular microbiology and published my research across a variety of microbiological topics.I am also director of Microbiology Consulting Ltd