I love science! I study how microbes survive and thrive. @wellcometrust Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow | All views my own | he/him | 🏳️🌈
Joined January 2018
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- Following 1,032
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MEEHubs26 abstract deadline has been extended to April 26th. Show off your awesome microbiology with scientists worldwide!
meehubs2026.oa-event.com/
🦠 What: top conference in microbial ecology and evolution
🦠 Where: Manchester UK hubs worldwide
🦠 When: 3rd-5th August 2026
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🚨 Calling all microbiologists! 🚨
The MEEHubs abstract submission deadline (19/04) is fast approaching. Come showcase your science!!
Submission portal is here: app.oxfordabstracts.com/auth…
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🚨 PhD Studentship available! 🚨
We're hiring a UK student to start in Oct '26. Full studentship plus £10k top-up PA. Come study the mysterious ZOMBIE PHAGES 🧟 🦠 with our fabulous MERMan and @UoMMIB communities!
findaphd.com/phds/project/co…
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William P J Smith retweeted
26 Aug 2025
New paper alert! Toxins can skew the results of competition assays, fascinating short communication from @Prokaryota and @willpjsmith. @MicrobioSoc microbiologyresearch.org/con…
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2 Jul 2025
Go Team! Deeply honoured that the MERMan lab reps won an @OfficialUoM "FMBH heroes" award - thanks @FBMH_UoM and the MERMan PIs for nominating us
❤️❤️❤️
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26 Feb 2025
The Oxford U. Foster and Slack labs are hiring! A chance to work in bleeding edge microbiome science with some really great mentors fosterlab.uk/vacancies
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14 Feb 2025
Thanks @Biosciences_UoM for the opportunity to present! Lots to celebrate in @OfficialUoM SBS ❤️
Excellent 3MT Lightning Talks on microbiom research by @willpjsmith #SBSAnnualEvent2025
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11 Feb 2025
Thrilled to have our recent T6SS resistance work featured in this commentary by @ShikumaLab. Thanks for the shoutout Nick!
@PNASNews
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…
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William P J Smith retweeted
11 Feb 2025
What amount of eye disease research would have discovered the laser? How much virology would have discovered lipid nanobody mRNA delivery? How many disease genes would you need to find before you discovered CRISPR?
Sometimes the hardest problems need discoveries in other fields
9 Feb 2025
As a taxpayer (irrespective of whether you’re a scientist) would you would be in favor of more of the @NIH budget going to fund efforts to solve specific diseases at the expense of basic exploratory research? Which diseases?
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15 Jan 2025
Chuffed to have been featured in the local news! Thanks @MENnewsdesk for covering our T6SS toxins story🗞️
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.24…
manchestereveningnews.co.uk/…
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9 Jan 2025
Yay! Published today in PNAS: multi-toxin T6SS attacks can limit resistance evolution in competitors.
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.24…
2 Aug 2024
(1/6) Really jazzed to have this out - my first @wellcometrust fellowship paper! biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
Can bacteria evolve resistance to competitors' T6SS weaponry? We find that the answer depends on **how many toxins** competitors are using. A thread:
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17 Dec 2024
🚨PhD Opportunity - please share!🚨
We’re hiring a PhD student to start Sept 2025: how do bacteria ‘tame’ phage parasites, and turn them into deadly Tailocins?
Come join me, Mike Brockhurst, @caiyizhi and @RaveenTank as we study ZOMBIE PHAGES!
findaphd.com/phds/project/bb…
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16 Dec 2024
It's a rare Good News Monday!
- Manuscript accepted 🗞️
- PhD studentship funded 💷
- 1 week until holidays! 🎄
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4 Dec 2024
Warm congratulations to 🎓DOCTOR @TaoranF 🎓, who passed her viva yesterday! We're really stoked that you're staying on to PostDoc at @MERManchester 🎉
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William P J Smith retweeted
28 Nov 2024
Recruiting two Chair positions. Areas of interest incl. but not limited to:
🤖 advanced computation & AI
🌱 natural product biosynthesis & enzyme discovery
🧬 structural biology & mechanistic enzymology
🦠 microbial engineering
CLOSING DATE: 31/01/25
jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/Jo…
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William P J Smith retweeted
27 Nov 2024
Climate impacts on European soils predicted by scientists
Our paper’s out @Nature !
Read about it here:
manchester.ac.uk/about/news/…
Or the original here: doi.org/ntzk
With @frantecol and many others
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William P J Smith retweeted
24 Nov 2024
Interested in doing a PhD studying fungal natural products?
I have two PhD projects advertised through @MIBTP_BBSRC at @uniofwarwick 1/ discovery of bioactive molecules for use in crop protection 2/understanding the biosynthesis and mode of action of pleurotin
🍄🧬💊
Please RT
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22 Nov 2024
It was a pleasure and a privilege to examine @ruth_ehr 's PhD viva this week, amidst stunning @dundeeuni scenery.
🥳🥳🥳
Warm congratulations to DR RUTH for all your hard work - I know supervisors @SarahCoulthurs1 @slow_going are very proud!
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