Tim Aldsworth

Tim’s first degree was a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Glasgow. After 1 year as a postgraduate research assistant at Oxford University, Tim returned to the University of Glasgow to undertake a PhD studentship developing an in-vitro model for biofilm development in the Dental School. Having completed his PhD studies, Tim moved to the University of Nottingham to take up a Postdoctoral Research Associate position with Professor Gordon Stewart and the Food Microbiology group there. Over an 11 year career with the Food Microbiology group at Nottingham, Tim undertook a variety of research projects, first with Professor Stewart and later with Professor Chris Dodd, before being appointed as a temporary Lecturer in Microbiology. To date, Tim has had 10 peer-reviewed papers and 3 articles published. He has also contributed to a chapter in Campbell-Platt’s “Food Science and Technology”, and has recently been invited to co-edit the 3rd edition of “Foodborne Diseases”. To date, Tim has won over £22K of external funding to support his research. In 2007 Tim became a Senior Lecturer in Biotechnology, and moved to Coventry University in this role in 2012. Tim was recently elected to the Executive Committee of the Society for Applied Microbiology.

Area of Expertise:

Microbiology; Food Microbiology; Biotechnology

My research is inspired by a desire to understand how microbial cells function, both alone and in community. The sheer variety of microbial cells, and their ability to respond to their environment is fascinating, as is the ability of some to cause disease whilst others prove extremely useful. I hope to contribute to our understanding of microbial interactions in biofilm communities, since these are the most common environment for bacteria, and to our ability to manage biofilms, since they can have significant medical, industrial and engineering implications.