Assistant Professor,
Alasdair graduated from the University of Leeds with a BSc in Microbiology in 2007. Following his degree, he worked for the Health Protection Agency (now UKHSA) and Dstl, Porton Down before completing his PhD in Medical Microbiology and Biophysics at St George's, University of London. He then continued as a Research Assistant at the University of Oxford and a Postdoctoral Scientist at Micropathology Ltd, before a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine for 4 years. Alasdair was appointed a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University from 2021-2025
Alasdair moved to the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University in Nottingham in 2025.
Alasdair specialises in antimicrobial resistance, microbial evolution, molecular biology and bioinformatics.
Alasdair's research focuses on the evolution, mechanisms and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across clinical, environmental and agricultural settings. He combines experimental… read more
Alasdair's research focuses on the evolution, mechanisms and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across clinical, environmental and agricultural settings. He combines experimental evolution, molecular biology and high‑resolution sequencing to understand how pathogenic bacteria adapt under antimicrobial pressure, how resistance determinants move between hosts and environments and how these processes can be disrupted to improve treatment outcomes.
A central theme of Alasdair's work is elucidating the evolutionary dynamics of AMR during infection and treatment, particularly in Escherichia coli associated with urinary tract infections. Using physiologically relevant in vitro models that mimic the human bladder environment, Alasdair investigates how antibiotic exposure shapes resistance trajectories, collateral susceptibility patterns and fitness trade‑offs. This work aims to optimise antimicrobial regimens to limit resistance emergence and reduce recurrent infections.
Alasdair is particularly interested in the role of insertion sequences in the movement of AMR genes, how they contribute to novel AMR mechanisms and disrupt AMR genes and contribute to AMR evolution, particularly around mobile genetic element hybridisation.
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University of NottinghamSutton Bonington Campus Leicestershire, LE12 5RD
telephone: +44 (0)115 951 6116 fax: +44 (0)115 951 6415 email: veterinary-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk