Research Group

Ian Lidbury
Principle Investigator

Ian is a Royal Society University Research Fellow (2023-2027) and former BBSRC Discovery Fellow (2020-2023). He has interests in marine and soil microbiology.

University of Sheffield staff profile

Laila Moushtaq-Kheradmandi
Research technician (Grade 6)

Laila complete her PhD at the University of Sheffield where she focused on yeast biochemistry. Her role is primarily associated with research relating to Ian's URF.

University of Sheffield staff profile

Sophie Groenhof

PhD Student (BBSRC White Rose DTP)

Graduated from the University of Bristol (BSc and MRes) before undertaking a 3-year research technician post at the University of Exeter.

Alex Connolly
PhD Student (Royal Society-funded)

Graduated from Sheffield in 2022 (MBioSci) and was part of the iGEM team (Revolver).  

Hannah Martin
PhD Student (Faculty-funded)

Graduated form the University of Huddersfield in 2023 with a BSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology. 

Hannah will focus on understanding the driver of bacterial recruitment in the plant microbiome.

Jonathan Mitchell
MBioSci Student 

Jonathan is investigating polysaccharide turnover in plant-associated Flavobacterium spp.

William Cutforth
MBioSci Student

Will is exploring the possibility of moving plant beneficial functions, such as phosphorus mobilisation, into rhizobia via horizontal gene transfer.

Cosmas Alamanjo
Co-supervised PhD Student

Cosmas is based in the Rolfe Lab (Sheffield) and is using the principles of omics to investigate the molecular mechanisms underpinning adaptive responses towards phosphorus stress and biological nitrogen fixation in cowpea. He is also investigating the utilization of labile and non-labile phosphorus in agricultural soil via the association of cowpea with phosphate solubilising microbes.

Thomas Prothroe
Co-supervised MBioSci Student

Tom is determining the molecular mechanisms responsible for glycine betaine catabolism in marine bacteria using Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 as the model.