Dr Arthur Morris

Overview

I am a Health and Care Research Wales Advanced Research Fellow specialising in pathogen genomics, population genetics and computational biology. My research combines the development of new computational methods with large-scale genomic analysis to understand how pathogen populations emerge, evolve and spread, and to translate genomic research into practical tools for public health and biosurveillance.

A major focus of my current research is the population genomics and genomic surveillance of Cryptosporidium, an important cause of gastrointestinal disease in humans and animals. Through my Health and Care Research Wales Advanced Research Fellowship, I work closely with Public Health Wales, including the Cryptosporidium Reference Unit and Pathogen Genomics Unit, to establish genomic approaches for routine Cryptosporidium surveillance in Wales and the wider UK. This programme builds on my previous work in national pathogen genomic surveillance and examines pathogen population structure, mixed infections, recombination and transmission while developing the laboratory and computational infrastructure required to move genomic methods into operational practice.

Alongside this, I develop computational methods for pathogen genomic analysis and microbial forensics. My research has produced methods for taxonomic identification, lineage assignment, population genomic analysis, mixed-infection detection and genomic anomaly detection. My previous work has contributed to the development of genomic surveillance pipelines now used within UK public health, and I continue to work with collaborators across multiple public sectors to develop methods that can operate at the scale and reliability required for real-world genomic surveillance.

My research interests include:

• Pathogen population genomics and evolution: Using large genomic datasets to investigate pathogen population structure, transmission, recombination, genetic exchange and evolutionary change.

• Cryptosporidium genomics and surveillance: Developing genomic approaches to understand Cryptosporidium transmission and evolution and establish routine genomic surveillance for this globally important pathogen.

• Computational genomics: Developing efficient and scalable software for pathogen genome analysis, including methods for lineage assignment, mixed-infection analysis, population genomics and genomic anomaly detection.

• Genomic epidemiology and biosurveillance: Translating genomic methods into operational systems for pathogen detection, characterisation and surveillance in collaboration with public-sector partners.

• Microbial forensics and genomic anomaly detection: Developing computational approaches to identify unusual genomic features relevant to biological surveillance.