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About me
I graduated in Biological Sciences (B.Sc, University of Salford, 1997, 1st Class) prior to undertaking a Ph.D in molecular microbiology studying quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (University of Nottingham, 2001). I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Nottingham on both EU and BBSRC funded grants, before obtaining a Royal Society University Fellowship (2006-2014). I was promoted to Associate Professor in 2013. In April 2017 I moved to the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech as an Associate Professor. I currently serve as a Senior Editor on the editorial board of Microbiology. I have previously served on the editorial boards of FEMS Microbiology Letters, BMC Microbiology, Microbiology Open and Royal Society Open Science. I was an elected member of the Microbiology Society Council (2012-2016) and also served on their conference and policy committees. I was selected to be an American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer in 2021. In my spare time I play bass guitar. I recorded some original music in a band called Meaner and I currently play in a covers band in Atlanta. |
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Current Research Interests
I am interested in cooperation and communication in microbes and how these are related to virulence, biofilms and antimicrobial resistance. I have a long standing interest in understanding how the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes disease, and am especially interested in how this organism evolves during chronic infections such as those found in cystic fibrosis lungs and chronic wounds.
See here for the latest research and publications from the group.
Awards
2020 Cullen-Peck Scholar Award (Georgia Tech)
2010 Fleming Prize awarded by the Microbiology Society.
Grants (Georgia Tech only)
Project title: Understanding in vivo antibiotic resistance in diverse Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations.
PI: Steve Diggle
Co-PI: Tim Read (Emory)
Amount requested: $2,599,552
Source: NIH NIAID R01.
Award Period Covered: 04/09/2021 – 03/31/2025
Summary: The major goal of this project is to understand how evolutionary trade-offs and social interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates affect heterogeneity and influence antimicrobial resistance.
Project title: Using R-pyocins to target Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis
PI: Steve Diggle
Amount requested: $275,449
Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Award Period Covered: 01/01/2021 – 01/01/2023
Summary: The major goal of this project is to understand how R-pyocins can be used to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in CF.
Project title: Understanding in vivo antibiotic resistance in diverse Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations.
PI: Steve Diggle
Co-PI: Tim Read (Emory)
Amount: $508,065
Source: NIH NIAID R56.
Award Period Covered: 08/20/2020 – 07/31/2021
Summary: The major goal of this project is to understand how evolutionary trade-offs and social interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates affect heterogeneity and influence antimicrobial resistance.
Project title: Development of small chemical-molecule inhibitors of quorum sensing regulator: a novel treatment for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections
PI: Gopal Jadhav (Creighton University)
Co-PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $28,638 (GT portion)
Source: NIH R21.
Award Period Covered: 09/11/2020 – 08/31/2022
Summary: The major goal of this project is to use compounds from the Jadhav lab in order to test their antimicrobial properties against laboratory and clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Project title: Material consequences of distinct interbacterial modes of aggression in bacterial biofilms
PI: Peter J. Yunker
Co-PI: Brian Hammer
Co-PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $525,000
Source: National Science Foundation BMAT
Award Period Covered: 06/15/20 – 05/31/23
Summary: The major goal of this proposal is to understand the impact of local and non-local bacterial killing on biofilm structure and material properties.
Project title: Pseudomonas aeruginosa population dynamics in the cystic fibrosis lung.
PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $108,000
Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Award Period Covered: 11/01/18 – 10/31/20
Summary: The major goal of this project was to understand how diversity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations impacts on antibiotic resistance and virulence in the cystic fibrosis lung.
Project title: Bacterial regulatory evolution during adaptation to chronic infections.
PI: Sam Brown
Co-PI: Marvin Whiteley
Co-PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $502,000
Source: NIH R56
Award Period Covered: 09/01/18 – 08/31/20 (includes 1 year NCE)
Summary: The major goal of this project was to understand the environmental drivers of and metabolic constraints on Pseudomonas aeruginosa adaptive evolution in the cystic fibrosis lung environment.
Education & Employment
- Associate Professor. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, U.S.A. (From April 2017)
- Associate Professor in Sociomicrobiology. University of Nottingham, U.K. (2013-2017)
- Royal Society University Research Fellow. University of Nottingham, U.K. (2006-2014)
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow. University of Nottingham, U.K. (2001-2006)
- PhD in Molecular Microbiology. University of Nottingham, U.K. (1997-2001)
- BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences. University of Salford, U.K. (1993-1997)
- Scientific Officer. Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester, U.K. (1990-1993)
- Medical Laboratory Assistant. Withington Hospital, Manchester, U.K. (1989-1990)
- Laboratory Assistant. Manchester Comparative Reagents, Stockport, U.K. (1987-1989)
Current and previous teaching roles
- Teacher for Bacterial Pathogenesis (BIOL8801) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for Special Topics (BIOL8803) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for Communicating Biological Research (BIOS4460) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for Medical Microbiology (BIOS4340) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for General Ecology (BIOL2335) (Georgia Tech)
- Microbiology module lead for the BMedSci course (University of Nottingham)
- Parasitology & Mycology module coordinator for a distance learning MSc course (University of Nottingham)
- Module coordinator for Pathogens (University of Nottingham)
Admin roles (Georgia Tech only)
- Commission on the Research Next: Strategy Development and Implementation committee (2020)
- Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) (2021 - present)
- Outreach and Communication for the Center for Microbial Dynamics & Infection (2020 - present)
- Member of the Biological Sciences Seminar Committee (2017 - present)
I am interested in cooperation and communication in microbes and how these are related to virulence, biofilms and antimicrobial resistance. I have a long standing interest in understanding how the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes disease, and am especially interested in how this organism evolves during chronic infections such as those found in cystic fibrosis lungs and chronic wounds.
See here for the latest research and publications from the group.
Awards
2020 Cullen-Peck Scholar Award (Georgia Tech)
2010 Fleming Prize awarded by the Microbiology Society.
Grants (Georgia Tech only)
Project title: Understanding in vivo antibiotic resistance in diverse Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations.
PI: Steve Diggle
Co-PI: Tim Read (Emory)
Amount requested: $2,599,552
Source: NIH NIAID R01.
Award Period Covered: 04/09/2021 – 03/31/2025
Summary: The major goal of this project is to understand how evolutionary trade-offs and social interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates affect heterogeneity and influence antimicrobial resistance.
Project title: Using R-pyocins to target Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis
PI: Steve Diggle
Amount requested: $275,449
Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Award Period Covered: 01/01/2021 – 01/01/2023
Summary: The major goal of this project is to understand how R-pyocins can be used to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in CF.
Project title: Understanding in vivo antibiotic resistance in diverse Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations.
PI: Steve Diggle
Co-PI: Tim Read (Emory)
Amount: $508,065
Source: NIH NIAID R56.
Award Period Covered: 08/20/2020 – 07/31/2021
Summary: The major goal of this project is to understand how evolutionary trade-offs and social interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates affect heterogeneity and influence antimicrobial resistance.
Project title: Development of small chemical-molecule inhibitors of quorum sensing regulator: a novel treatment for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections
PI: Gopal Jadhav (Creighton University)
Co-PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $28,638 (GT portion)
Source: NIH R21.
Award Period Covered: 09/11/2020 – 08/31/2022
Summary: The major goal of this project is to use compounds from the Jadhav lab in order to test their antimicrobial properties against laboratory and clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Project title: Material consequences of distinct interbacterial modes of aggression in bacterial biofilms
PI: Peter J. Yunker
Co-PI: Brian Hammer
Co-PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $525,000
Source: National Science Foundation BMAT
Award Period Covered: 06/15/20 – 05/31/23
Summary: The major goal of this proposal is to understand the impact of local and non-local bacterial killing on biofilm structure and material properties.
Project title: Pseudomonas aeruginosa population dynamics in the cystic fibrosis lung.
PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $108,000
Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Award Period Covered: 11/01/18 – 10/31/20
Summary: The major goal of this project was to understand how diversity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations impacts on antibiotic resistance and virulence in the cystic fibrosis lung.
Project title: Bacterial regulatory evolution during adaptation to chronic infections.
PI: Sam Brown
Co-PI: Marvin Whiteley
Co-PI: Steve Diggle
Amount: $502,000
Source: NIH R56
Award Period Covered: 09/01/18 – 08/31/20 (includes 1 year NCE)
Summary: The major goal of this project was to understand the environmental drivers of and metabolic constraints on Pseudomonas aeruginosa adaptive evolution in the cystic fibrosis lung environment.
Education & Employment
- Associate Professor. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, U.S.A. (From April 2017)
- Associate Professor in Sociomicrobiology. University of Nottingham, U.K. (2013-2017)
- Royal Society University Research Fellow. University of Nottingham, U.K. (2006-2014)
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow. University of Nottingham, U.K. (2001-2006)
- PhD in Molecular Microbiology. University of Nottingham, U.K. (1997-2001)
- BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences. University of Salford, U.K. (1993-1997)
- Scientific Officer. Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester, U.K. (1990-1993)
- Medical Laboratory Assistant. Withington Hospital, Manchester, U.K. (1989-1990)
- Laboratory Assistant. Manchester Comparative Reagents, Stockport, U.K. (1987-1989)
Current and previous teaching roles
- Teacher for Bacterial Pathogenesis (BIOL8801) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for Special Topics (BIOL8803) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for Communicating Biological Research (BIOS4460) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for Medical Microbiology (BIOS4340) (Georgia Tech)
- Teacher for General Ecology (BIOL2335) (Georgia Tech)
- Microbiology module lead for the BMedSci course (University of Nottingham)
- Parasitology & Mycology module coordinator for a distance learning MSc course (University of Nottingham)
- Module coordinator for Pathogens (University of Nottingham)
Admin roles (Georgia Tech only)
- Commission on the Research Next: Strategy Development and Implementation committee (2020)
- Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) (2021 - present)
- Outreach and Communication for the Center for Microbial Dynamics & Infection (2020 - present)
- Member of the Biological Sciences Seminar Committee (2017 - present)