Melissa Ward

Melissa joined the Centre in March2014

As emphasised by the World Health Organisation, rising levels of resistance to antibiotics represent a global health crisis.  I am studying the spread of bacteria and antibiotic resistance by combining bacterial genetic sequence data with epidemiological information, such as the location, date and host from which the sequence was obtained.  Working closely with the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, I am using state-of-the-art phylogenetic methods to identify the most significant sources of bacterial disease and antibiotic resistance in low-income areas of East Africa undergoing rapid urbanisation, with the aim of informing and improving strategies for disease treatment and control. 

Melissa Ward

Ashworth Labs,
King's Buildings,
West Mains Road,
Edinburgh,
EH9 3JT