Soil, it’s a whole universe beneath our feet.

Whilst studying in the Department of Microbiology at the John Innes Centre, I developed a fascination with soil microbes and symbiosis. I researched the mechanism of action of an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and investigated its metal-binding abilities. If you are interested, you can find out more here.

Then, I took my curiosity for soil out of the lab and into the field, and worked as a “Soil Scientist” at Fera Science Ltd. I worked on the UK Government’s England Ecosystem Survey and England Peat Map projects. We got out on the hills and fields of the north of England, collecting soil and vegetation data, and getting pretty muddy whilst we were at it.

I also worked on evaluating agri-environment schemes, such as the SFI, and the implementation of actions for Nature. I loved learning about this, talking to farmers and digging into literature to investigate possible impacts on soil and biodiversity.