Mexico – Andres Galindo Garcia

International student profiles 30 April 2019

Andres Galindo Garcia is a second year PhD student from Torreón, Mexico.  Dr Nicholas Lockyer is supervising his PhD project “In-situ mass spectrometry profiling of microbial hosts for industrial biotechnology applications.”

Please give a brief summary of your PhD project.
The development of economically and environmentally sustainable feedstocks including microbes for the manufacture of high-value chemical products is a significant challenge for Industrial Biotechnology.  The ability to screen microbial populations for metabolic phenotype and product turnover is an essential step in process design and optimisation. This project will apply established and newly developed surface mass spectrometry technologies to assess their capabilities in this novel application area. The main aims of the project are to develop protocols for high throughput in-situ mass spectrometry profiling of microbial hosts for high-value compound production and to determine quantitative figures of merit for the measurement of key intermediates and products using a suit of surface mass spectrometry tools. These results will feed into pathway design and strain selection for enhanced production of polyketide, flavonoids, monoterpenoids etc. in microbial hosts.

What did you do before undertaking your PhD and why did you decide to undertake a postgraduate course?

I completed an MPhil at the University of Manchester before deciding to carry on with a PhD project.  It was the most attractive option I had at the moment. I saw it as a big challenge, with the potential to help me develop as both a person and a scientist.

Why did you choose your degree/project/supervisor?

Because of the interest I have in microbiology and biotechnology. Our group aims to contribute to the current knowledge in biotechnological processes through the application of mass spectrometry as an analytical tool.

Why did you choose Manchester?

The University of Manchester excels in the area of analytical chemistry.

What do you think of your PhD so far?  What do you enjoy?

What I enjoy the most is being part of a scientific community with such a high impact in so many different fields of science.

What are facilities and resources like in the Faculty?

State of the art technologies and plenty of other resources and materials available to students.

How do you think studying here will help your future prospects?  What are your future plans?

I haven’t thought too far ahead, but I know for sure that being a graduate of this university will make things much easier.

What do you like about the city of Manchester?

Science, football, nightlife, people are so nice and inclusive!

Anything else you would like to add?

You can’t really go wrong with this University; it’s all about making the most of it!