My overarching research goal is to link microbial phylogeny with ecosystem function (i.e. “who” is doing “what” and “how” in the environment) and elucidate the eco-physiological mechanisms in microbial systems that underpin ecosystem services. Specifically, I work on two complementary research areas:

i) eco-physiology of methylotrophs: bacteria that utilize one-carbon (C1) compounds (i.e. methane, methylated amines) as sole carbon and energy source 
ii) plant-microbe interactions and their impact on soil fertility 

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​Link to Google Scholar
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​Qualifications and Previous Experience

• Lecturer (Genetics and Molecular Biology), Queens University Belfast, Belfast (UK)
• Research Assistant Professor, The University of Western Australia, Perth (Australia)
• Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia, Norwich (UK)
• OCE Postdoctoral Fellow, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart (Australia)
• PhD (Environmental Microbiology), University of Warwick, Coventry (UK)
• MSc (Environmental Science), University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (dissertation at University of Florida, USA)
• BSc (Horticulture), Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India

Professional Memberships

• International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) - Young Ambassador for Australia (2015-16)
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Microbiology Society
  
• Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM)
• ​International Society for Subsurface Microbiology
• West Coast Microbiome Network, Perth (Founding member)

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