Peter Flanagan, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

I have over 10 years of experience working in the higher education sector in the UK and Ireland as a Research Assistant and Postdoctoral Research Fellow.Following graduating from NUI Maynooth in 2008 with a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences, I was offered a Research Assistant position at The University of Oxford, Nuffield Dept. of Clinical & Experimental Medicine. Here I spent 2 years working as part of a multidisciplinary team on the SPARTAC trial. I was responsible for longitudinal sequencing of samples from patients acutely infected with HIV.In 2011, I secured a place to complete a Masters in Virology at Imperial College London and shortly later, I successfully secured a place to complete a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans at the Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin.I was later appointed to Postdoctoral Fellow, pioneering the implementation of 3rd generation sequencing in the Molecular Microbiology group. The use of MinION sequencing and hybrid assembly with Illumina MiSeq reads has enhanced the research capabilities of the laboratory allowing for contig gap closures due to long read sequencing. It has also allowed RNASeq to be performed in-house. In addition to my research responsibilities, I was responsible for coordinating and disseminating the Problem Based Learning course content as tutor for Dental Science students. In addition, I oversaw undergraduates carrying out research projects as part of the Microbiology course at Trinity.While instrumental in the development of in-house sequencing, I have demonstrated a number of project management skills including problem solving, excellent time management, organising work flows, multitasking and managing students.Currently, I am based in The Public Health Laboratory at Cherry Orchard Hospital where I mange three National Reference Laboratory services for C. difficile, VTEC and Campylobacter. In addition to this I am a visiting fellow in the school of medicine at Trinity College Dublin.