Laura joined the University of Exeter in October 2019 as a PhD student, funded by the BBSRC and AstraZeneca.

Her research is focusing on antimicrobial resistance in terrestrial environments. In particular, she is looking at plant growth promoters that are used in high quantities in agriculture – such as herbicides and insecticides – and their potential co-selective properties.

Before joining Exeter, she completed a BSc (Hons) Biology at Bath Spa University in 2017. Her dissertation project looked at finding potential new sources of antibiotics from soil microorganisms that may produce them using a device called the iChip.

The iChip aimed to give access to bacteria that are uncultivable in traditional laboratory conditions and therefor increase the chances of finding novel antimicrobial therapies.

Following her undergraduate degree, she worked for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) as an assistant scientific officer. At the Agency, she worked on bacterial culture and identification to support diagnostic and monitoring work, particularly with Brachyspira and Campylobacter.

Her main work at APHA was based around antimicrobial resistance monitoring by minimum inhibitory concentration in a range of microorganisms.