Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, and are the most abundant and diverse biological entity on the planet. They are able to kill pathogenic bacteria in a precision manner, and to date every known bacteria has a corresponding bacteriophage able to infect. Despite these viruses holding huge potential for novel antimicrobial and biological tools, >70% of proteins encoded by phages have no known function. These unknown proteins are known as 'viral dark matter'

We are part of the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, where our work explores 'viral dark matter', and specifically how this dark matter aids bacteriophages in hijacking and rewiring their bacterial hosts. Our aim is to uncover the molecular mechanisms that underpin these interactions, from phage-encoded transcriptional regulators to host–phage protein complexes that reshape DNA replication, transcription, and metabolism. 

Our group combines structural biology (cryo-EM, mass spectrometry, computational modelling) with molecular microbiology to understand how phage proteins mimic, inhibit, or redirect host machinery. By integrating high-throughput pipelines with detailed structural and functional analysis, we aim to reveal new principles of viral–host conflict and uncover molecular tools with potential applications in biotechnology and medicine.

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