LIMR Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Antimicrobial Resistance
Prof. Mark Wilcox
Prof Wilcox (Leeds, NHS) leads national AMR efforts. His research covers C. difficile, diagnostics, antibiotic resistance, gut microbiome, and antimicrobial development.
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Prof. Mark Hull
Prof Hull is a clinician scientist focused on colorectal cancer prevention, integrating molecular biology, nutrition, and clinical trials to develop chemoprevention and risk-reduction strategies.
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Prof. Lesley Houghton
Prof Houghton focuses on gut–brain disorders like IBS and connections between gastrointestinal dysfunction and diseases such as respiratory conditions.
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Prof. Alex Ford
Prof. Ford studies the epidemiology and treatment of disorders of gut-brain interaction, such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia, using randomised trials and meta-analysis.
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Dr Jonathan Sandoe
Dr Sandoe focuses on antimicrobial stewardship and prescribing, with expertise in infective endocarditis, healthcare-associated infections, and antimicrobial resistance.
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Dr Andrew Kirby
Dr Kirby focuses on complex intra-abdominal infections, surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, and healthcare-associated infections, integrating antibiotic pharmacology with narrative-based approaches.
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Dr Ian Rowe
Dr Rowe is a clinical hepatologist focusing on liver disease outcomes, risk stratification, and early detection of complications, integrating epidemiology and clinical trials to improve patient care.
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Dr Caroline Chilton
Dr Chilton is specialising in healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance, and gut microbiota, using in vitro models to study antibiotic–microbiome interactions and C. difficile.
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Dr Jane Freeman
Dr Freeman is a Clinical microbiologist specialising in Clostridioides difficile, antimicrobial-mediated dysbiosis, AMR, and diagnostics; established the human gut model of CDI at Leeds.
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Dr Suparna Mitra
Dr Mitra integrates microbiome, dietary, and environmental datasets to uncover how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emerges across systems, focusing on global health and underrepresented populations.
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Dr Ines Moura
Dr Moura decodes gut microbiome dynamics and antimicrobial resistance using advanced in vitro models to understand pathogen behaviour, antibiotic impact, and therapeutic interventions.
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Dr Christopher Rooney
Dr Rooney is a Clinical microbiologist bridging microbiome research and patient care, focusing on AMR, autoimmunity, and translating multi-omics insights into diagnostics and practice.
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Indoor Microbiomes and Healthy Buildings Workshop Invitation
One-day interdisciplinary workshop on “Indoor Microbiomes and Healthy Buildings” at the University of Leeds (19 May 2026, Nexus Building, 09:30–16:00), funded through a grant secured by Dr Suparna Mitra from the Healthy Buildings Network.
The event explores how building design and operation shape indoor microbial communities and their links to health, sustainability, and resilience, bringing together researchers from engineering, microbiology, architecture, public health, environmental science, and data science.
It includes a call for ECR poster abstracts (250 words max) due by 10 May 2026, and is free to attend with registration open online.
Indoor Microbiomes & Healthy Buildings: Rethinking the Future of Indoor Health
GermBugs: Resource for clinical education
GermBugs is a resource developed at Leeds Institute of Medical Research to facilitate teaching healthcare staff clinical microbiology. The use of stories and images helps students learn difficult concepts and makes the subject memorable.
Using in vitro systems to model gut microbiota communities
Dr Chilton aims to understand the complex interplay between the normal gut microbiota, therapeutic agents, and opportunistic infections, with a particular focus on how antimicrobial resistance reshapes these interactions. His research uses in vitro gut microbiota models derived from stool samples to simulate community-level changes following different treatments, with the goal of improving patient outcomes after therapy.
Field-Based AMR Surveillance in LMIC Communities
Dr Mitra focuses on antimicrobial resistance, with particular attention to how diet, environment, and microbial ecology interact across human and environmental systems. Antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries is strongly shaped by unrestricted antibiotic use and complex community-level health behaviours. Through field-based studies in Bangladesh and India, this work examines how these practices influence resistance dynamics, generating insights across human and environmental interfaces. This community-centred approach offers a transferable model for AMR surveillance and intervention across similar global settings.
Honorary Fellowships by the Academy for Healthcare Science.
We are proud to announce that two senior leaders from the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Leeds Biomedical Research Centre have been awarded Honorary Fellowships by the Academy for Healthcare Science.
Dr Kerrie Davies MBE and Dr Jane Freeman have each received the title of Honorary Fellow of the Academy for Healthcare Science, the highest honour awarded by the Academy, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to healthcare science, research leadership and patient care. As Co-Deputy Theme Leads for AMR and Infection at the NIHR Leeds BRC, Kerrie and Jane play a central role in translating cutting-edge research into improved patient outcomes. Both are also dedicated mentors and champions for Healthcare Scientists in research careers. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement.
Building Global AMR Partnerships: Network meeting in India
In January 2026, Dr Suparna Mitra convened an Academy of Medical Sciences–funded network meeting at SRM Institute, India, co-led with Prof. Jayaseelan Murugaiyan, bringing together over 20 collaborators to advance interdisciplinary antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research. The meeting strengthened international partnerships, enabled data sharing, and fostered new collaborations across clinical, microbiome, and data science. It also supports cross-sectional data collection across three Indian cities, including faecal samples, dietary (FFQ), behavioural, and anthropometric data, enabling integrated analysis of AMR across community settings.
The artist and the scientist
In April Dr Jane Freeman was invited speaker at the National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) Festival Week: The artist and the scientist: knowledge generation from lab to the public featuring work from longstanding collaboration with international bioartist, Anna Dumitriu
Events organised by Empower Leeds Women (ELW) Network
Dr Jane Freeman and Dr Kerrie Davis hosted the Empower Leeds Women (ELW) “Woman of the North” event in Jan. This featured Keynote Speaker Fatima Khan Shah, West Yorkshire Inclusivity Champion at the WY Mayors Office.
They also hosted three webinars in the “Empowering Women through movement” series co-host by The ELW and the University of Leeds Inter Active Network