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Gordon Webster   BSc (Hons), PhD

Dr Gordon Webster

BSc (Hons), PhD

Research Associate

School of Biosciences

Overview

Research overview

My research interests are in Geomicrobiology, Natural product discovery from Burkholderia, Biocontrol, Water research and Microbial ecology.

Microbiomes, Microbes and Informatics

I am a member of the Microbiomes, Microbes and Informatics group.

Publication

2025

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2004

Articles

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Websites

Biography

Brief History

I undertook my BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Biology at Nottingham Trent University specialising in plant biology and crop protection. After graduating in 1991, I started my research career at the University of Nottingham with a BBSRC funded PhD (1991-1995) on the interaction between rhizobia and the non-legume Parasponia andersonii (with Prof. Ted Cocking & Dr Mike Davey). In 1995, the work led to a DANIDA funded collaborative postdoctoral position, between the Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire, INRA-CNRS, Castanet-Tolosan, France and the University of Nottingham (with Profs. Jean Dénarié and Ted Cocking). The project was to study the association between diazotrophic microorganisms and non-legume crop plants for endophytic biological N fixation.

I then moved to the University of Aberdeen in 1998, where my research interests focused on microbial ecology on a NERC EDGE project with Prof. Jim Prosser and in collaboration with Prof. Martin Embley, Natural History Museum. We used 16S rRNA-based techniques to characterise the diversity and community structure of natural populations of nitrifying bacteria in upland grassland soils. The work looked at the effects of different environmental factors and management regimes on species diversity, functional gene diversity and nitrification activity of ammonia-oxidising bacteria.

In 2001, I arrived at Cardiff University to work with Profs. Andrew Weightman and John Fry on a NERC MFMB funded project to look at microbial communities in the deep sub-seafloor biosphere, and then later with  Prof. John Parkes (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences). This included research on an EU HERMES and NERC projects to look at the diversity of prokaryotic communities in marine hotspots such as cold seeps, cold-water coral mounds and other anoxic environments. These important systems require urgent study because of their possible biological fragility, unique genetic resources, global relevance to carbon cycling and susceptibility to global change and human impact.

Since 2017, my research interests include antibiotic discovery from Burkholderia species with Prof. Eshwar Mahenthiralingam. This has included several projects funded by the Welsh Government LSBF and BBSRC to investigate the specialised metabolites produced by Burkholderia species for novel antibiotics and biological control agents. Recently, I have also been working on a project with Prof. Andrew Weightman on understanding the microbial communities responsible for biological removal of taste and odour compounds (geosmin & MIB) in Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water water treatments works. This research is alongside my work on the Wales Environmental Wastewater Analysis & Surveillance for Health (WEWASH) project which was set up to monitor COVID-19 levels in wastewater accross Wales. The WEWASH project is a collaboration between Cardiff University, Bangor University, Public Health Wales and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. We hope the infrastructure set up during this project can now help with other issues, such as the emerging problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Professional memberships

Microbiology Society, American Society for Microbiology, Geological Society

Contact Details

Email WebsterG@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone +44 29208 75175
Campuses Sir Martin Evans Building, Room West 2.11, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX

Specialisms

  • Wastewater treatment processes
  • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Subsurface microbiology
  • Biopesticides