![Sarah Christofides BSc PhD FHEA](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/965?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Sarah Christofides
BSc PhD FHEA
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Sarah Christofides
Lecturer
School of Biosciences
Overview
I am a mycologist and quantitative ecologist, specialising in wood decay fungi. My research interests focus on (microbial) community ecology, and particularly the application of multivariate statistics to large datasets. I have a diverse research background, spanning fungal interactions, plant stress responses and freshwater ecology. I want to improve dialogue and knowledge-sharing between classical ecological statistics and microbial ecology bioinformatics, combining and extending the approaches to handle the ever-larger datasets available for analysis. Many statisticians work on ecological problems, and many ecologists rely heavily on statistics, but often in isolation from each other. I aim to bridge the gap between these disciplines.
As a lecturer in bioinformatics, I teach on the School's undergraduate and postgradute bioinformatics courses. My specialist area is the analysis of microbial communities through metabarcoding, but I have wide interests in bioinformatics and biostatistics.
I am the deputy lead for the School's Genomics Research Hub and deputy training lead for the RedAlert CDT. I also have a keen interest in science communication and outreach, and have been involved in delivering diverse scientific engagement events.
Publication
2025
- Ashraf, U. et al. 2025. Inocybe crenata sp. nov. (subsec. Geophyllinae, sect. Tardae) from conifer dominated forests of Pakistan. Mycobiology 53(2), pp. 135-143. (10.1080/12298093.2024.2398273)
2024
- Hooper, A. S., Christofides, S. R., Windsor, F. M., Watson, S. E., Kille, P. and Perkins, R. G. 2024. Algae-bacteria community analysis for drinking water taste and odour risk management. Water 17(1), article number: 79. (10.3390/w17010079)
- Jones, R., Gilbert, S. J., Christofides, S. R. and Mason, D. J. 2024. Osteocytes contribute to sex-specific differences in osteoarthritic pain. Frontiers in Endocrinology 15, article number: 1480274. (10.3389/fendo.2024.1480274)
- Jörgensen, S. K. M. et al. 2024. An analogue of the Prolactin Releasing Peptide reduces obesity and promotes adult neurogenesis. EMBO Reports 25(1), pp. 351-377. (10.1038/s44319-023-00016-2)
2023
- Hooper, A., Kille, P., Watson, S., Christofides, S. and Perkins, R. 2023. The importance of nutrient ratios in determining elevations in geosmin synthase (geoA) and 2-MIB cyclase (mic) resulting in taste and odour events. Water Research 232, article number: 119693. (10.1016/j.watres.2023.119693)
2022
- Muto, A. et al. 2022. Fruitomics: The importance of combining sensory and chemical analyses in assessing cold storage responses of six peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) cultivars. Foods 11(17), article number: 2703. (10.3390/foods11172554)
- Christofides, S. R. et al. 2022. Cross-cultural differences between Italian and UK consumer preferences for ‘Big Top’ nectarines in relation to cold storage. Foods 11(16), article number: e2424. (10.3390/foods11162424)
- Hart, E. H. et al. 2022. Forage grass growth under future climate change scenarios affects fermentation and ruminant efficiency. Scientific Reports 12, article number: 4454. (10.1038/s41598-022-08309-7)
2021
- Ludlow, R. A. et al. 2021. Storage time and temperature affects volatile organic compound profile, alliinase activity and postharvest quality of garlic. Postharvest Biology and Technology 177, article number: 111533. (10.1016/j.postharvbio.2021.111533)
2020
- Stegenta-Dąbrowska, S., Randerson, P. F., Christofides, S. R. and Bialowiec, A. 2020. Carbon monoxide formation during aerobic biostabilization of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: the influence of technical parameters in a full-scale treatment system. Energies 13(21), article number: 5624. (10.3390/en13215624)
- Christofides, S. R., Bettridge, A., Farewell, D., Weightman, A. J. and Boddy, L. 2020. The influence of migratory Paraburkholderia on growth and competition of wood-decay fungi. Fungal Ecology 45, article number: 100937. (10.1016/j.funeco.2020.100937)
2019
- Christofides, S. R., Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. J. 2019. Fungal control of early-stage bacterial community development in decomposing wood. Fungal Ecology 42, article number: 100868. (10.1016/j.funeco.2019.100868)
- Johnston, S., Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. 2019. Highly competitive fungi manipulate bacterial communities in decomposing beech wood (Fagus sylvativa). FEMS Microbiology Ecology 95(2) (10.1093/femsec/fiy225)
2017
- Antwis, R. E. et al. 2017. Fifty important research questions in microbial ecology. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 93(5), article number: fix044. (10.1093/femsec/fix044)
- Johnston, S. R. 2017. Fungus-bacteria interactions in decomposing wood: unravelling community effects. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2016
- Johnston, S., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. 2016. Bacteria in decomposing wood and their interactions with wood-decay fungi. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92(11), article number: fiw179. (10.1093/femsec/fiw179)
- Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Johnston, S. R., Parfitt, D., Muller, C. T., Rogers, H. J. and Boddy, L. 2016. Location, location, location: priority effects in wood decay communities may vary between sites. Environmental Microbiology 18(6), pp. 1954-1969. (10.1111/1462-2920.13141)
2015
- Johnston, S. R., Vaughan, I. P. and Ormerod, S. J. 2015. Acid-base status mediates the selection of organic habitats by upland stream invertebrates. Hydrobiologia 745(1), pp. 97-109. (10.1007/s10750-014-2097-9)
Articles
- Ashraf, U. et al. 2025. Inocybe crenata sp. nov. (subsec. Geophyllinae, sect. Tardae) from conifer dominated forests of Pakistan. Mycobiology 53(2), pp. 135-143. (10.1080/12298093.2024.2398273)
- Hooper, A. S., Christofides, S. R., Windsor, F. M., Watson, S. E., Kille, P. and Perkins, R. G. 2024. Algae-bacteria community analysis for drinking water taste and odour risk management. Water 17(1), article number: 79. (10.3390/w17010079)
- Jones, R., Gilbert, S. J., Christofides, S. R. and Mason, D. J. 2024. Osteocytes contribute to sex-specific differences in osteoarthritic pain. Frontiers in Endocrinology 15, article number: 1480274. (10.3389/fendo.2024.1480274)
- Jörgensen, S. K. M. et al. 2024. An analogue of the Prolactin Releasing Peptide reduces obesity and promotes adult neurogenesis. EMBO Reports 25(1), pp. 351-377. (10.1038/s44319-023-00016-2)
- Hooper, A., Kille, P., Watson, S., Christofides, S. and Perkins, R. 2023. The importance of nutrient ratios in determining elevations in geosmin synthase (geoA) and 2-MIB cyclase (mic) resulting in taste and odour events. Water Research 232, article number: 119693. (10.1016/j.watres.2023.119693)
- Muto, A. et al. 2022. Fruitomics: The importance of combining sensory and chemical analyses in assessing cold storage responses of six peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) cultivars. Foods 11(17), article number: 2703. (10.3390/foods11172554)
- Christofides, S. R. et al. 2022. Cross-cultural differences between Italian and UK consumer preferences for ‘Big Top’ nectarines in relation to cold storage. Foods 11(16), article number: e2424. (10.3390/foods11162424)
- Hart, E. H. et al. 2022. Forage grass growth under future climate change scenarios affects fermentation and ruminant efficiency. Scientific Reports 12, article number: 4454. (10.1038/s41598-022-08309-7)
- Ludlow, R. A. et al. 2021. Storage time and temperature affects volatile organic compound profile, alliinase activity and postharvest quality of garlic. Postharvest Biology and Technology 177, article number: 111533. (10.1016/j.postharvbio.2021.111533)
- Stegenta-Dąbrowska, S., Randerson, P. F., Christofides, S. R. and Bialowiec, A. 2020. Carbon monoxide formation during aerobic biostabilization of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: the influence of technical parameters in a full-scale treatment system. Energies 13(21), article number: 5624. (10.3390/en13215624)
- Christofides, S. R., Bettridge, A., Farewell, D., Weightman, A. J. and Boddy, L. 2020. The influence of migratory Paraburkholderia on growth and competition of wood-decay fungi. Fungal Ecology 45, article number: 100937. (10.1016/j.funeco.2020.100937)
- Christofides, S. R., Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. J. 2019. Fungal control of early-stage bacterial community development in decomposing wood. Fungal Ecology 42, article number: 100868. (10.1016/j.funeco.2019.100868)
- Johnston, S., Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. 2019. Highly competitive fungi manipulate bacterial communities in decomposing beech wood (Fagus sylvativa). FEMS Microbiology Ecology 95(2) (10.1093/femsec/fiy225)
- Antwis, R. E. et al. 2017. Fifty important research questions in microbial ecology. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 93(5), article number: fix044. (10.1093/femsec/fix044)
- Johnston, S., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. 2016. Bacteria in decomposing wood and their interactions with wood-decay fungi. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92(11), article number: fiw179. (10.1093/femsec/fiw179)
- Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Johnston, S. R., Parfitt, D., Muller, C. T., Rogers, H. J. and Boddy, L. 2016. Location, location, location: priority effects in wood decay communities may vary between sites. Environmental Microbiology 18(6), pp. 1954-1969. (10.1111/1462-2920.13141)
- Johnston, S. R., Vaughan, I. P. and Ormerod, S. J. 2015. Acid-base status mediates the selection of organic habitats by upland stream invertebrates. Hydrobiologia 745(1), pp. 97-109. (10.1007/s10750-014-2097-9)
Thesis
- Johnston, S. R. 2017. Fungus-bacteria interactions in decomposing wood: unravelling community effects. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
- Ludlow, R. A. et al. 2021. Storage time and temperature affects volatile organic compound profile, alliinase activity and postharvest quality of garlic. Postharvest Biology and Technology 177, article number: 111533. (10.1016/j.postharvbio.2021.111533)
- Stegenta-Dąbrowska, S., Randerson, P. F., Christofides, S. R. and Bialowiec, A. 2020. Carbon monoxide formation during aerobic biostabilization of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: the influence of technical parameters in a full-scale treatment system. Energies 13(21), article number: 5624. (10.3390/en13215624)
- Christofides, S. R., Bettridge, A., Farewell, D., Weightman, A. J. and Boddy, L. 2020. The influence of migratory Paraburkholderia on growth and competition of wood-decay fungi. Fungal Ecology 45, article number: 100937. (10.1016/j.funeco.2020.100937)
- Christofides, S. R., Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. J. 2019. Fungal control of early-stage bacterial community development in decomposing wood. Fungal Ecology 42, article number: 100868. (10.1016/j.funeco.2019.100868)
- Johnston, S., Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. 2019. Highly competitive fungi manipulate bacterial communities in decomposing beech wood (Fagus sylvativa). FEMS Microbiology Ecology 95(2) (10.1093/femsec/fiy225)
- Antwis, R. E. et al. 2017. Fifty important research questions in microbial ecology. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 93(5), article number: fix044. (10.1093/femsec/fix044)
- Johnston, S. R. 2017. Fungus-bacteria interactions in decomposing wood: unravelling community effects. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
- Johnston, S., Boddy, L. and Weightman, A. 2016. Bacteria in decomposing wood and their interactions with wood-decay fungi. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 92(11), article number: fiw179. (10.1093/femsec/fiw179)
- Hiscox, J., Savoury, M., Johnston, S. R., Parfitt, D., Muller, C. T., Rogers, H. J. and Boddy, L. 2016. Location, location, location: priority effects in wood decay communities may vary between sites. Environmental Microbiology 18(6), pp. 1954-1969. (10.1111/1462-2920.13141)
- Johnston, S. R., Vaughan, I. P. and Ormerod, S. J. 2015. Acid-base status mediates the selection of organic habitats by upland stream invertebrates. Hydrobiologia 745(1), pp. 97-109. (10.1007/s10750-014-2097-9)
Research
I am a microbial community ecologist with research interests in mycology, freshwater microbiology, and quantitative ecology. My overarching research aim is to tackle one of the great problems in ecology: how to link (community) structure to (ecosystem) function. I am convinced that this will not be solved by a magic bullet, but by a judicious combination of hypothesis development, experimental design, statistical tools and experimental methods linking multiple scales. In accordance with this outlook, I collaborate extensively with colleagues across the School and beyond.
Fungi in Trees and Woodlands
Fungi and trees have complex, intimate relationships that are still poorly understood. Mycorrhizal fungi enable trees to grow; heart-rot fungi are crucial to making mature trees valuable habitat for many organisms; and wood-decay fungi recycle dead wood back to the environment. Much of the detail of those relationships is still poorly understood, complicating conservation attempts. My group works on multiple aspects of the relationship between fungi and trees, particularly on fungi within mature and veteran trees.
Cardiff collaborators: Prof Lynne Boddy
External collaborators: Dr Matt Wainhouse (Natural England); Dr Rich Wright (Plantlife)
PhD students: Ed Woolley
Ecology and Behaviour of Cord-forming Fungi
Cord-forming basidiomycetes are a most fascinating group of fungi, yet much of their biology is poorly understood. They are characterised by the ability to form cords: organs formed from aggregated bundles of hyphae that allow the fungus to forage across the forest floor in elaborate networks. Cord-formers tend to share highly competitive ecological strategies and a intriguing set of behaviours. My group uses field observations, lab experiments and mathematical and statistical modelling to delve deeper into understanding these cryptic organisms.
Cardiff collaborators: Prof Lynne Boddy; Dr Fred Windsor; Dr Veronica Greineisen
External collaborators: Dr Torda Varga (Kew); Dr Ben Stevenson (University of Aukland)
PhD students: Rhys Lloyd; Mariana Villani
Fungal-Bacterial Interactions
Microbial communities drive many of the processes in the natural world, but their interactions are often poorly understood - particularly across kingdoms. My PhD research investigated the interactions between fungi and bacteria during wood decomposition, and this remains a particular area of interest to me. My PhD work was the first to show a causal link in the field between the identity of the dominant fungus in a resource and the composition of the bacterial community. It also revealed for the first time that fungi can significantly delay bacterial colonisation of a woody resource. I am also interested in bacterial effects on fungi, particularly the Paraburkholderia which migrate along fungal hyphae.
Cardiff collaborators: Prof Lynne Boddy
External collaborators: Dr Carrie Brady (University of the West of England); Dr Robin Thorn (University of the West of England)
PhD students: Phos Hayes
Microbiology of Headwater Streams
Upland freshwaters provide a host of ecosystem services and act as sensitive indicators of ecosystem health. My research career started in freshwater ecology, working with Prof Steve Ormerod researching the effects of acidification on habitat choice by macroinvertebrates. I worked on Prof Isabelle Durance's NERC DURESS project, looking at the links between microbial communities and dissolved organic carbon. I have ongoing involvement with an industry-funded collaboration looking at the production and removal of taste and odour compounds in drinking water.
Cardiff collaborators: Prof Pete Kille; Prof Andy Weightman; Prof Roo Perkins (School of Earth & Ocean Sciences); Dr Annalise Hooper
Post-Harvest Stress in Plants
Plants' responses to the stresses associated with harvest have major implications for food security, waste reduction and agricultural efficiency. I have worked with Prof Hilary Rogers and Dr Carsten Müller on post-harvest stress reponses in various plant systems. During the BBSRC Future Forages project we collaborated with Prof Alison Kingston-Smith and Dr Elizabeth Hart at Aberystwyth University to investigate how climate stress imposed when grass is growing affects its subsequent autolysis within the rumen. In the Fondazione con il Sud's FRUITY project, we combined biochemical analysis with consumer panel data to assess markers of peach quality and how they are affected by storage, in collaboration with Dr Natasha Spadafora at the Università degli Studi di Ferrara and Dr Ruth Fairchild and Dr Anita Setarehnejad at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Cardiff collaborators: Prof Hilary Rogers; Dr Carsten Müller
External collaborators: Prof Alison Kingston-Smith (Aberystwyth University); Dr Liz Hart (Aberystwyth University); Dr Natasha Spadafora (Università degli Studi di Ferrara)
Teaching
My current teaching centres around delivering bioinformatics workshops to students on the MRes and integrated masters programmes. Previous teaching experience includes: lecturing on first and second year statistics and plant ecology, lab- and field-base practical teaching, leading a journal-club style discussion group for masters students, and running data analysis workshops for second year undergraduates.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Biography
2023-present: Lecturer in bioinformatics, Cardiff University
2021-2023: Bioinformatics tutor at the Genomics Research Hub, Cardiff University
2019-2021: Research associate, Cardiff University. BBSRC Future Forages project led by Prof. Hilary Rogers and Dr. Carsten Muller
2018: Part-time lecturer in statistics, Swansea University
2013-2017: NERC PhD, Cardiff University. Fungus-bacteria interactions in decomposing wood: unravelling community effects. Supervised by Prof. Andy Weightman and Prof. Lynne Boddy
2009-2012: BSc(Hons) Ecology, 1st class. Cardiff University
Honours and awards
- Best poster, Royal Statistical Society Annual Conference 2022
- Best Article Award 2019 from FEMS Microbiology Ecology: ‘Highly competitive fungi manipulate bacterial communities in decomposing beech wood (Fagus sylvativa)’
- New Phytologist Trust grant to attend ‘People, Plants and Planet Symposium’ at Kew (2019)
- FEMS travel grant to attend ESM conference in Prague (2015)
- NERC PhD studentship (2013)
- Undergraduate Fellowship with the British Ecological Society (2012-2013)
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- British Ecological Society
- British Mycological Society
- Royal Statistical Society
- Christians in Science
Speaking engagements
2024 Invited speaker, Oxford University event Speedy Careers - Linking junior researchers with professionals in their field
2023 Invited seminar, University of Kent School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
2023 Invited seminar, University of St Andrews School of Mathematics and Statistics
2023 Invited talk, Building Interdisciplinary Solutions to Modern Ecological Challenges conference
2020 Invited seminar, University of Essex School of Life Sciences
2020 Invited seminar, LaTrobe University Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology
Committees and reviewing
- Editorial Board, Fungal Ecology
- Grant reviewer for Slovak Academy of Sciences 2024
- Grant reviewer for National Science Centre Poland 2024
- Grant reviewer for BBSRC 2023
- Grant reviewer for the Human Frontiers Science Programme 2021
Supervisions
Current supervision
Past projects
Past PhD students:
-
Dr Urooj Ashraf (The phyologeny and systemics of basidiomycetes from mixed coniferous forests of Pakistan)
- Dr Aimee Bettridge (Application of bacterial genomics and culture-free microbiota diagnostics to respiratory infections)
Contact Details
+44 29208 76201
Sir Martin Evans Building, Room C4.06, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
Research themes
Specialisms
- Bioinformatics and computational biology
- Biostatistics
- Mycology
- Plant biology
- Freshwater ecology
