Recently we have started to introduce the PhD students of the LRA INFECTIONS. This week Claire Taylor, PhD of IPT2, has answered a few short questions for us.

Claire is located within the Interdisciplinary Project Team 2 (IPT2) "Fate of AMR microbes in mixed bacterial-fungal consortia" and will investigate the mutual interactions of bacterial and fungal microbes in mixed biofilm-forming consortia, focusing on pulmonary opportunists known to develop AMR.

Profile Claire Taylor

Name: Claire Taylor

Age: 30

Where and what have you studied?
I studied for my Bachelor’s degree in Infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh and my Master’s degree in Infection Biology at the University of Lübeck.

Which field of research interests you the most?
I am interested in understanding how antimicrobial resistance develops and investigating new ways we can tackle this increasingly urgent problem.

Why did you apply to the Leibniz Research Alliance INFECTIONS?
I wanted to continue my research into the development of antimicrobial resistance in mixed biofilm communities, which I have the opportunity to do with the LRA INFECTIONS. I am also excited by the interdisciplinary approach of this group, as we will be able to share ideas and perspectives from different backgrounds.

Describe your research project briefly and in a generally understandable way:
I will be studying the interactions within biofilms comprised of different microbial species grown on lung cells and assessing the development of antimicrobial resistance within these biofilms.

What do you think will be the biggest challenges but also the biggest opportunities
during your work?

The public communication work will be a big challenge, as it can be tricky to strike a balance between conveying all the relevant information and being understandable to a general audience. However, I think this will be a great skill to learn and something new for me, so I am really excited for this aspect of my work.

Thanks for the interview. We are happy to have you on board!