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Martin is a graduate of the Universities of Warwick (BSc Molecular Sciences) and Manchester (MSc, PhD Microbial Chemistry). After leaving university, he spent 10 years as a member of the Microbiology and Fermentation Section at the Tropical Products Institute in London where his work involved research, development and advisory work on the exploitation of renewable resources available to developing countries. Among the projects he worked on at TPI were the production of vinegar from export reject bananas, fermentation alcohol production, biogas from food wastes, and fermented cassava and fish products.

In 1984, he was appointed as Lecturer in Food Microbiology in the Microbiology Department of the University of Surrey where he later became Professor and is currently Emeritus Professor of Food Microbiology. In addition to his teaching duties at Surrey, Martin was one of the organizers of the WHO Advanced Food Microbiology Course and he maintained an active research programme in a number of aspects of food microbiology including the physiology of foodborne pathogens, lactic acid bacterial fermentations and natural antimicrobials. He has authored or edited 7 books and more than 100 papers, reviews and book chapters in these areas including a popular student textbook on food microbiology with Professor Maurice Moss.

He has been a member of SfAM since 1984, served on Committee (2000-2003) and was Meetings Secretary (2004-2009). He became President in July 2011.

Mark began his career at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath where he became a trainee Biomedical Scientist. He completed a Microbiology degree at Kings College, London and followed that with a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, working on bacterial causes of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Following this he won the Tadion Rideal prize for outstanding post-graduate work in molecular science. Mark then moved on to St George's Hospital medical school to work with Professor David Lewis and Professor George Griffin on the use of Cholera toxin and the heat labile toxins of E. coli as adjuvants for mucosal vaccines. Following this, he became a Lecturer at Kingston University which is where he is currently based and in 2011 became Professor of Medical Microbiology.

Steve has worked the majority of his professional life as a microbiologist within the NHS in Sheffield, although he did have a brief spell as a medical representative. He is currently Bacteriology Departmental Manager at the Northern General Hospital, which is part of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust. Steve is also an external lecturer for both Sheffield Hallam and Hull Universities on a variety of different subjects. Steve has publications on many different organisms and various techniques. He is a Chartered Scientist and is working towards a PhD on the effect of silver in wounds, as he feels chronic wounds is an area that many microbiology departments tend to ignore. Steve is the current Chairman of the Microbe Symposia and also helps organize the annual joint Orthopaedic/Medical Microbiology meeting, both held in Sheffield. Steve is also Chairman of the Sheffield and district IBMS branch and is the current national Specialist Advisor to the IBMS for Microbiology. Steve’s main objective is to break down some of the professional barriers that still exist in the NHS, hopefully resulting in the introduction of Healthcare Scientist Consultants in Microbiology, in a similar way to that which has happened in the nursing profession. Steve is also the Scientific Director of the newly formed UKOMS medical, who specialize in diagnosing and advising on orthopaedic infections.

Andy is a Consultant Clinical Scientist at the Health Protection Agency Laboratory in Newcastle upon Tyne where he is Head of Molecular Diagnostics and Research and Development. His main responsibilities are the management and scientific leadership of the molecular diagnostic laboratory and all of the research and development (R&D) activities in the regional HPA laboratory. He began his microbiology career in 1991 as a trainee Biomedical Scientist at Preston Public Health Laboratory. Further postgraduate study at Preston resulted in a Masters degree in Biomedical Science and then a PhD which he completed in 2000. He then left the UK and undertook postdoctoral research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA. He returned to the UK in 2003 to take up his current post at Newcastle, where he leads the development and evaluation of new technology and methods for microbiological diagnosis, identification and typing within the laboratory.  

His main research interests include the detection and epidemiological fingerprinting of pathogens and the application of molecular diagnostic methods to clinical microbiology to aid the diagnosis and management of infectious disease. He also is a part-time lecturer at the University of Northumbria where he teaches Biomedical Science. He has served on several editorial boards including Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology and the Journal of Open Microbiology. He has been a member of the Society since 1996 and joined the Executive Committee of the Society in 2005, serving as an Ordinary Member until 2008 before becoming the Honorary Meetings Secretary in 2009.   

When he is not working he enjoys spending time with his family on their allotment, playing the guitar, mandolin and banjo, and socializing with friends and family.

Christine's first degree was a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Leicester and she continued at Leicester for her PhD in Microbiology in the newly formed Microbiology Department. After research positions in the Universities of Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne, she came as a postdoc to the University of Nottingham in 1985, joining a newly revived Food Microbiology group in the then Faculty of Agriculture at Sutton Bonington. Christine was appointed as Lecturer in Food Microbiology in 1989 and after several promotions and site name changes was appointed Chair in Food Microbiology in 2006. She is now the Head of the Division of Food Sciences. Her research work is centred on ensuring the safety of the food supply and involves characterization of microbial populations in food products and production environments at the species and sub-species levels and examining the factors influencing their introduction and survival. Christine has a long association with the Society and was previously a Main Committee member from 1990-1993, was the local organizer for several conferences and won the W H Pierce Prize in 1993.

Clare joined the Society in 1997 when she was working on her PhD in Microbiology at the University of Manchester and since then she has developed a deep affection for all things microbiological, and in particular for pathogenic microbes. Following her PhD, and after a very brief spell as a technical specialist with Medeva Pharma Ltd, she returned to the lab in Manchester as a postdoctoral researcher and worked on different projects ranging from biotechnological applications of capsular polysaccharides, to capsule and LPS biosynthesis. In 2004 Clare joined a new lab with Dr Jen Cavet which is where she fostered her interest in intracellular pathogens. She was appointed as a Lecturer in Medical Microbiology at Edinburgh Napier University in 2007 and since then she has been developing her research as an independent investigator. The main focus of her research is on understanding host-microbe interactions, particularly of intracellular bacteria that cause human infection, and the aims of her research are to understand how bacterial gene expression is modulated in response to the host environment and how this contributes to microbial pathogenicity and survival. Clare is also involved in several multi-disciplinary projects and the applied aspects of her research include developing novel antimicrobial strategies, involving collaboration with colleagues in chemistry and endocrinology as well as with industry. Outside of her research she has a keen interest in encouraging people into science and she is a STEM Ambassador which provides opportunities to engage with young people in particular.

Mark's career began working in the Microbiology Laboratories at the Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge Hospitals on the Wirral whilst attending University in Liverpool. This followed the then-traditional route of training towards state registration as a Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer. Having enjoyed the start to his career at the bench, he moved into the commercial world with Gibco (Life Technologies), and gained experience in the UK microbiology and tissue culture markets, before moving onto industrial bio-processing, and later into business development, and marketing management in Europe and Scandinavia.
International travel soon became a large part of the roles that Mark held, and realizing that new challenges should never be ignored; in 1989 he joined the Pro-Lab Diagnostics Group of companies with its Head Office in Canada and was charged with the responsibility of setting up a European Division. The following 20 years were certainly challenging, presenting many opportunities, and the chance to gain valuable additional business experience and qualifications. The company now employs 16 staff and is recognized internationally for the supply of numerous high quality in vitro diagnostic kits and reagents.

Sally's passion for microbiology started with a BSc degree course from University College London from which she graduated in 1981. Sally then worked in diagnostic bacteriology laboratories at The Royal London and Stoke Mandeville Hospitals before moving into a research role on Lyme borreliosis based at Charing Cross Hospital (now part of Imperial College London).  Whilst in this post, Sally obtained her PhD in 1992 through part-time study. She continued her postdoctoral research on spirochaetes but switching towards those causing relapsing fever. Following these studies Sally was awarded the W H Pierce Prize in 1994.
Sally subsequently moved to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge in 2002, where she broadened her research interests to include other bacterial zoonoses such as Brucella, Leptospira, and Coxiella. From this post she has moved into academia in 2007, where she currently holds a Readership in the School of Health and Bioscience at the University of East London. She additionally serves as an associate editor for Clinical Microbiology & Infection and for Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases, as a member of the IBMS Virology Advisory Panel, and on the IBMS London Regional Panel. Her research interests are still largely focussed upon spirochaetes and bacterial zoonoses, particularly those with an impact upon developing countries.
Sally has been a member of SfAM since the days when it was the Society for Applied Bacteriology. She currently serves on the Meetings Subcommittee and has been a regular participant at SfAM meetings for a number of years, both as a presenter and member of the audience.

After completing a degree in Applied Biology (Molecular and Microbiology) at Nottingham Trent University, Samantha studied the ‘Microbial biochemistry of slow sand filters’ for her PhD at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Since then she has retained an interest in microbial communities and biofilm formation.
Thus far, she has had a varied career and has been involved in the microbiological monitoring of waste water treatment plants and coastal waters, lectured in food microbiology, worked on a European Union project to improve the microbiological monitoring of sterilized milk and monitored the quality of beer produced at Guinness.
Since 2005, Sam has worked at NCIMB and is currently Deputy Curator of NCIMB, the UK’s major repository for environmental bacteria. This has enabled her to gain rounded experience as one of her roles is to maintain the current bacterial culture collection of over 8,000 strains and ensure that a number of new bacteria are added to the collection every year to help maintain its relevance to the scientific community. Sam also plays a senior role in operating the safe, patents and secure storage facilities offered by NCIMB which are home to key strains derived from academic or industrial research and which require confidential and reliable off-site maintenance to ISO or cGMP standards.
Sam has been a member of the SfAM for a number of years and continues to enjoy serving on the Main Committee and Meetings Subcommittee.

Alison was originally introduced to the then Society for Bacteriology when working at the Institute of Food Research in Reading. Her first degree in Biology and Food Science and Nutrition from Oxford Brookes University was achieved on a part-time basis whilst working full time at IFR. She subsequently obtained a PhD in Microbiology with IFR and the University of Reading. During this time she was lucky to have worked with Dr Bernard Mackey and Professor Glenn Gibson as a Research Fellow at Reading, and Dr Rohan Kroll before that at IFR, on diverse food-related research projects. These included: predicting the thermal inactivation of bacteria in a solid matrix, population dynamics during the stationary phase of Campylobacter jejuni, the physiology and respiratory activity in Listeria spp., as well as microbial fuel cells for the rapid enumeration of bacteria and the direct epifluorescent filter technique to enumerate bacterial spores. Alison is currently a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at Kingston University, lecturing to biomedical science, pharmacology, pharmacy and nutrition undergraduates and biomedical science postgraduates. Her current research interests include method development and analysis of the antibacterial, anti-ageing and anti-oxidant properties of plant-based products, the efficacy of disinfectants towards medically important staphylococci, and mapping weather patterns in E. coli O157:H7 infections.

Louise graduated from the University of Reading with a Bachelor’s degree in Food Technology (1990) and a PhD in Food Microbiology (1995). She is the Director of Research in the Cardiff School of Health Sciences. Louise is also a Reader of the University of Wales and her research interests include novel methods for decontamination of bioaerosols and surfaces and implementation of food safety management systems. Louise teaches in the area of food and general microbiology, biotechnology, research methods and processing technology. She is a Fellow of IFST and a member of the International Association for Food Protection and has been a member of SfAM (then SAB) since her PhD studies. She is also a member of  the Welsh Food Advisory Committee of the Food Standards Agency and has recently undertaken a consultancy for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN in Bangladesh.

Irene joined the Society for Applied Bacteriology (as it was then) in 1988 whilst studying for a PhD in Food Microbiology at Queen’s University Belfast - she has the distinction of being Dr Margaret Patterson’s first PhD student. Several postdoctoral research positions ensued, initially related to the microbiological effects of food irradiation and subsequently to the potentially zoonotic pathogen Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Various aspects of the latter have been the main focus of her research since 1993. In early 2006 Irene became a Lecturer in Microbiology and Food Safety within the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University contributing to BSc Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition and Biological Science degree pathways.
Over the years Irene has contributed to and benefitted from the Society for Applied Microbiology in various ways – attending a number of Summer Conferences to present her research, being awarded the W.H. Pierce Prize, publishing papers in Society journals, taking advantage of Student into Work grants and, most recently, the President’s Fund.

After completing her degree in Biology, Katie gained a PhD in 2008 from the University of Northampton where she studied the antimicrobial effects of citrus essential oil vapours against Enterococcus sp. This research led to development of an antimicrobial vapour which has since been patented. Her postdoctoral work included looking at the effects of the vapour against fungi such as Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. on grain and the effects of clinical waste movements on the transmission of Hospital Associated Infections (HAIs). Currently she works as a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Microbiology at De Montfort University; lecturing on both the Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Science degree courses and the Pharmaceutical Quality by Design MSc. She is a Chartered Biologist and her research interests include biofilms, survival mechanism of C. difficile and novel antimicrobials against HAIs. She has been a member of SfAM since 2005 and was one of the founding members of the Postgraduate and Early Career Scientist (PECS) committee.

Philip began his career working in the Medical Microbiology laboratories of a major university teaching hospital. During this period, as well as training in medical microbiology he was involved in teaching, education and research and published over 60 peer reviewed articles. In 1990 Philip became the Laboratory Manager, a role which he fulfilled for five years before he was approached by a commercial company, Mast Laboratories to become their Laboratory Director. This role included directing new and existing product development, quality control, quality systems and providing scientific expertise. During this initial period he was also fortunate to complete a Master in Business Administration at Sheffield Business School. After 1998 Philip was also given the role of Production Director, which amongst many other things introduced him to Lean Manufacturing and Material Requirements Planning principles. He remained in the commercial sector until 2005 when he moved to take on the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer for the Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM). Contact Philip +44(0)1234 326661.