About
I am an Associate Progessor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, UK. My main research interests are in understanding how the trillions of microbes that inhabit the mammalian gut interact with each other and with the host. Using experimental and systems-based approaches, I investigate how these interactions influence host physiology and health. I am also interested in leveraging microbial communities to enhance ecosystem function and sustainability.
Webpage: Functional Microbiome Research Group
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Gut microbiome
- Host-microbiota crosstalk
- Microbiome One Health model for a healthy ecosystem
Current research
My lab is interested in understanding the function of the trillions of gut microbes that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. We apply molecular biology, cultivation, genomics, and activity-based methods to investigate how are nutrients shared among microorganisms (pathogens and commensals) and how does nutrient availability shape the gut microbiome and more broadly, host health.
Another line of research focus on understanding the impact of non-antibiotic drugs on microbiome function and composition. The use of medication has been shown to have a major influence on gut microbiome composition. Large-scale screens revealed that a significant proportion of human-targeted drugs tested could inhibit the growth of bacterial strains in vitro. Using molecular biology techniques, ex vivo batch-culturing systems and new sequencing technologies and metabolomics we aim to understand the side effects of human targeted drugs on the microbiome.
We are also interested on the impact of small, host-secreted RNA molecules on microbiome composition and function. Changes in the levels of these molecules lead to shifts in gut microbiome composition and have been implicated in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Research projects
Active projects
Completed projects
Publications
Teaching
I teach on a range of topics in Microbiology, Microbiome Sciences and Pharmacology.
I am module lead for Microbiomes and Health (BIOL3076/BIOL6103).
I am Programme Lead for the MRes in Advanced Biological Sciences.
I supervise MSc and BSc projects in molecular microbiology, microbial ecology and microbiome analysis.
External roles and responsibilities
Biography
Academic qualifications
2023. FHEA. Professional Postgraduate Qualification and Fellowship in Academic Practice, UK.
2014. PhD in Biology, branch Molecular Biology. NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
2006. BSc in Biological Engineering. Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Previous positions
2019-2022. Principal Investigator (Project grant). Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Austria
2014-2019. Postdoc/Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow. Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Austria.