George Salmond

Professor George Salmond

BSc MA PhD ScD HonDSc FRSA FRSB FAAM FRSE

George is a molecular microbiologist with wide research interests in the genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, pathogenesis and evolution of various bacteria and their viruses (bacteriophages). His interests are both fundamental and translational - from basic to synthetic microbiology.

George Salmond

After a BSc in microbiology from the University of Strathclyde and a PhD in bacterial genetics at Warwick University, George did postdoctoral work on the genetics of E. coli cell division (Edinburgh University) before a lectureship at the University of Kent. He then moved to Warwick University, where he became Professor of Microbiology (1993) before coming to Cambridge in 1996. He also did research work at the CNRS, Marseille, France (Senior Ciba-Geigy Fellow) and Celgene Corporation, New Jersey, USA (Celgene Sabbatical Fellow).

Some of his professional activities in recent years include: Council of the Microbiology Society; Convenor, Cell and Molecular Biology Sectional Committee, Royal Society of Edinburgh;  Scottish Science Advisory Council; Board of Directors and Advisory Committee on Science, James Hutton Institute; President, British Society for Plant Pathology; Governing Council, John Innes Centre and the Scottish Crop Research Institute; Council of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies; International Secretary and Council of the Society for General Microbiology; Science Unions Committee, Royal Society, and Pathogen Sequencing Advisory Group, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. He has served on many research funding, advisory and science quality review committees in the UK and Europe, and on the Scientific Advisory Board, NSC Technologies (Illinois, USA) and various Editorial Boards of microbiological journals.

Recognitions & achievements

  • Council Member of The Microbiology Society
  • Editorial Board Future Microbiology

Research interests

Molecular Microbiology: bacterial quorum sensing, virulence, protein secretion systems, antibacterial and antifungal antibiotics, bacterial gas vesicles and flotation, bacteriophages (bacterial viruses), 'phage therapy' of bacterial infections, evolution of bacteriophage host range, toxin-antitoxin systems and bacteriophage abortive infection.

George's research work covers diverse gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including E. coli, Citrobacter, Serratia, Yersinia, Pectobacterium, Dickeya and Pseudomonas, and their bacteriophages.