Summary

I'm a Senior Technician in the Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) working to support the P3EB Mission Hub. I have 15 years experience as a microbiologist within industry.

I provide expert specialist support and training for the team, covering equipment such as the Applikon MiniBio bioreactor array, Eppendorf BioFlo 120 fermenter, BioLector Benchtop Bioreactor, plastic milling equipment, Camsizer X2 particle imager and more, as well as large-scale enzymatic production for the Hub.

Biography

My industrial microbiology experience includes testing and validating pharmaceutical products, medical devices and disinfectants.

I have worked to GLP and GMP compliance and in FDA and UKAS accreddited laboratories. I have experience of Quality Systems/Manuals including equipment validation and qualifications, internal auditing of processes and procedures and writing/reviewing procedures in compliance with EN/international standards and pharmacopoeias.

I gained a First Class Honours degree (BSc. Hons. Applied Science) in 2011 through Learning at Work at the University of Portsmouth and won the Liz Bishop prize for academic excellence.

My experience in a research setting (5+ years in the CEI) has allowed me to develop Biotechnology skills using different Bioreactors for changing applications. The BioLector Pro is a benchtop reactor with small scale (2 mL) reactions automatically controlled within 36 or 48 well plates. Our six 250 mL Getinge Applikon Bioreactors are primarily used for enzymatic digestion of plastics. We also have three 1 L versions of these. Our BioFlo is capable of 5.6 L microbial fermentations for protein expressions using bacteria or yeast.