We understand how short on time everyone is, with this in mind we rolled out a series of microbiome focussed talks that will be no longer than half an hour in length. These will also be recorded individually and after each event a link will be sent out to those who signed up.

Exploring the Microbiome with Professor Thomas Riley, Senior Clinical Scientist at PathWest Laboratory Medicine and Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Western Australia.

Talk: Clostridium difficile and One Health

Date/Time: Thursday, February 20 · 10:30 - 11am GMT

Speaker Bio: Professor Thomas Riley

BAppSc Curtin, MAppEpid ANU, PhD UWA

FASM, FRCPath, FAAM, FSHEA, FFSc(RCPA) 

School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine (WA)

Tom divides his time in Perth, Western Australia, between PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA’s public sector pathology service provider, where he is a Senior Clinical Scientist, and The University of Western Australia, where he is a Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences, with Adjunct positions at most other Western Australian universities. He has had a long-standing interest in healthcare-related infections, particularly the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, the Australian Society for Microbiology, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the Faculty of Science of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and has published >450 book chapters and refereed journal articles, including >250 on C. difficile.

Exploring the Microbiome with Dr Carvalho Dr Nelson Carvalho, Research Assistant at Biorbis

Talk: Sustainable Solutions for Gut Microbiota Modulation: From Discovery to Application

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 30 · 10:30 - 11am GMT+1

Speaker Bio: Nelson Mota de Carvalho

I hold a BSc in Microbiology (2016), an MSc in Applied Microbiology (2018), and a PhD in Biotechnology with a specialization in Microbiology (2024) from the Faculty of Biotechnology, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

During 2017-2018, I participated in an ERASMUS program at the University of Reading (United Kingdom) within the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, investigating the in vitro impact of insect flours on the human gut microbiota, as part of my master’s thesis.

From 2019-2023, I worked as a Lab Assistant at Alchemy Project (a co-joined project between Amyris Bio Products Portugal and Universidade Católica Portuguesa), contributing to the development of animal and human gastrointestinal in vitro models to evaluate the bioactive properties present in ingredients produced from sugar cane by-products.

In 2020, I was accepted into a PhD program in Biotechnology with a specialization in Microbiology at the Faculty of Biotechnology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. My doctoral research focuses on creating a comprehensive platform of in vitro models, known as the GIOTA platform, to accurately simulate both animal and human gastrointestinal tracts.

Currently, as a Research Assistant at Biorbis, I focus on developing sustainable bioactive ingredients derived from agro-industrial by-products. My expertise includes food microbiology, gut microbiota, prebiotics, probiotics, and gastrointestinal tract simulation, with a particular interest in the relationship between diet and the health of humans and animals.

I have extensive experience working in multidisciplinary teams and international collaborations, combining academic research with practical applications in biotechnology and the livestock industry.

I am committed to advancing sustainable solutions for health and nutrition and look forward to contributing further to this exciting field.

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