My background is in Plant Science / Biotechnology. At the University of Newcastle, I worked on CAZymes and wheat proteomics in a BBSRC-funded Crop Science Initiative. I joined the University of Salford in 2011, here my research has focused on the Green Bioeconomy, sustainability, and novel biomaterials for commercial use. Now, as Head of Biomedicine, I focus my teaching and research on the microbial consortia in invertebrate guts, cell wall degrading enzymes and recombinant protein production.

My research advances the Green Bioeconomy with a focus on sustainability, agricultural biotechnology, and discovering enzymes in unexplored environments for biomass degradation and new materials. We develop biomaterials from plants and polymers like mollusc slime to replace oil-based products, revolutionising industries. Our lab has cloned 2,500 enzymes for breaking down biomass, especially hemicellulose (plant fibre). We are now testing these enzymes for commercial use.