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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.

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.

Claire graduated in Microbiology from King’s College, University of London in 1992. After completing a Masters degree in Aquatic Resource Management she went on to obtain her PhD in 1998 working in the field of food microbiology and food safety. Following her PhD, she joined the Cellular and Molecular Sciences group at St George's Hospital Medical School, London as a postdoctoral researcher where she worked on multi drug resistance mechanisms in Plasmodium falciparum and then characterization of factors involved in the suppression of HIV replication.
Claire joined the Food & Environmental Safety Department at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in 2001 where she undertook a role as the Enteric Diseases Detection and Diagnostics Manager, leading a team of scientists to deliver work under zoonoses surveillance and endemic disease portfolios. In 2005 she joined Med-Vet-Net, an EU network of scientific excellence working for the prevention and control of zoonoses and foodborne diseases, to provide project management support to the Med-Vet-Net Project Manager. Subsequently she moved to the biotechnology department at VLA where she is currently part of a team assuring test validation for detection and diagnostic tests developed or adapted for use across VLA. Additionally her responsibilities include providing support to the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) Central Reference Laboratory (CRL) and National Reference Laboratory (NRL) based at VLA.

Louise is a Senior Biomedical Scientist in the Microbiology Department at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey. She graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1987 with a BSc in Chemistry and Astronomy. This raised the eyebrows of her tutor (a certain Philip Wheat) when she enrolled onto the MSc course in Medical Microbiology at Sheffield. She hasn't escaped from Medical Microbiology since. Apart from a year as a Research Scientist for Cambridge Life Sciences in Ely, she has spent all of her working life in NHS laboratories in Sheffield, Leeds, Morley and now Frimley.
Louise runs lunchtime Continuing Professional Development meetings in her own laboratory and is involved with Wessex Applied Microbiologists (WAM), organizing evening meetings across central, southern England. Her main role is validation and implementation of new methods.
She was volunteered onto the Publications Subcommittee by a grammatically challenged SfAM committee member. They were tired of having their spelling corrected so thought they’d direct her attention elsewhere! Louise's role on the Subcommittee is Grants Editor, editing reports submitted by those who’ve been awarded SfAM grants to attend meetings/courses/conferences they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to attend.

After completing a BSc in Medical Biochemistry at Birmingham University, Lucy gained valuable research experience through several posts in hospital laboratories and university departments across the West Midlands before settling at Aston University where she completed a PhD entitled: "Renal Dopamine and Salt-Sensitive Hypertension" in 2003. She continued her research career completing several postdoc projects. During this time, Lucy also taught molecular biology practical classes to final year BSc students and spent her spare time writing articles for various university publications. Through this experience she decided that her passion for science came more from talking about it rather than doing it. She was offered the honorary Editorship of Microbiologist magazine and when her postdoc contract ended, she took the position of Communications Officer for Med-Vet-Net, the EU FP6 project on zoonotic disease. This post provided extensive training in all aspects of science communications, from designing a website to corporate crisis management and she put this training to good use when she began working as Communications Officer for SfAM in June 2006. Since then she has developed SfAMs Communications remit to the extent that in June 2009 she was promoted to Communications Manager and the Society appointed Communications Officer Clare Doggett. In 2010 Lucy was awarded a MBA with distinction which she completed part-time at Aston University. In her spare time, Lucy blogs for the Birmingham Skeptics in the Pub. Contact Lucy +44(0)1234 326709.

Clare’s background is in Natural Sciences which she studied at the University of Reading. Her degree included modules in science communication as well as microbiology and virology. Before working at SfAM Clare was a graduate trainee in communications and member services at the Royal Society of Chemistry, a very varied role including organizing a stand at a science festival and attending and helping co-ordinate a conference in Brazil! Clare joined SfAM as Communications Officer in June 2009 and was thrown straight in to the deep end attending the Summer Conference in Manchester. Contact Clare +44(0)1234 326661.