I finished my PhD in Medical Microbiology from the University of Edinburgh in 2012 on antibiotic resistance mechanisms and the role of insertion elements in Acinetobacter baumannii, a hospital acquired pathogen.

I then went on to do a post-doc on understanding the role of reservoirs in spread of Campylobacter infection in humans at the University of Aberdeen and delivered on projects woth more than £2mn commissioned by DEFRA, BBSRC, FSA, FSS.

I continue to work actively on the molecular epidemiology of other pathogens such as Klebsiella spp & Helicobacter pylori. Did you know? over half of the world's population is colonized with H. pylori?

I publish extensively in peer reviewed journals such as The Lancet Microbe, Clinical Microbiology and Infection, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

I was interviewed by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), USA for my work on Campylobacter and my reports are used by several agencies such as Food Standards Scotland, Food Standards Agency (5 star report) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to develop policies related to food security.

I actively collaborate with researchers working in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

I am also the 2019 and 2023 national award winner of ‘I am a scientist get me out of here’ in microbe and health zones respectively. This is one of the major science communication competitions in the UK involving participation of over 1000 pupils who vote for their favourite scientist.

Major highlights:

1. Patil, S., B. S Lopes, S. Liu, F. Wen. 2022. Emergence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coliO157:H7 in paediatric patients in Shenzhen, China. The Lancet Microbe (IF=86.208) [Major publication]
2. Nemec, A., L. Radolfová-Křížová, M. Maixnerová, M. Nemec, P. Španělová, R. Šafránková, O. Šedo, B. S. Lopes, PG. Higgins. 2021. Delineation of a novel environmental phylogroup of the genus Acinetobacter encompassing Acinetobacter terrae sp. nov., Acinetobacter terrestris sp. nov. and three other tentative species. Sys Appl Microbio (IF: 3.2) [Species I’ve named approved by the bacterial nomenclature committee]
3. Ramachandran, B., J. Jeyakanthan and B. S. Lopes. 2020. Molecular docking, dynamics and free energy analyses of Acinetobacter baumannii OXA class enzymes with carbapenems investigating their hydrolytic mechanisms. J Med Micro (IF: 2.2) [Dr. Ramchandran, my colleague has trained in the Nobel prize-winning lab of Prof Arieh Warshel]
4. Lopes, B. S.,* N J. C. Strachan, M. Ramjee, A. Thomson, M. MacRae, S. Shaw and K J. Forbes. 2019. Nationwide stepwise emergence and evolution of ST5136, a multi-drug resistant strain of Campylobacter jejuni. Emerging Infectious Diseases (IF: 7.5). [Major publication interviewed by the CDC, USA]
5. Manohar, P., N. Ramesh*, B S. Lopes*. 2018. The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages targeting Gram-negative bacteria using Galleria mellonella infection model (Accepted, BMC Micro, IF 3.066) [We developed phage therapies to tackle MDR infections]

If you are interested in joining the Lopes lab, please send your CV and a short statement of purpose at [email protected]

Funding resources

Undergrads

Society for Applied Microbiology

Award: £160 per week and up to £500 for specified research costs
Application deadline: At least six weeks before the proposed start date 

Microbiology Society

Award: £185 per week for a period of up to 8 weeks. An additional sum of up to £400 for specific research costs may also awarded
Application deadline: Mid-February each year

British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (Vacation Scholarships)

Award: £180 per week and consumables grant of £500
Application deadline: 31 March each year

Masters students

Commonwealth Masters Scholarships

PhD Candidates​

Science without Borders - Ciência sem Fronteiras

Chinese Scholarship Council

NERC Doctoral Training Partnership

Post-docs

​Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Individual

Fellowships Newton International Fellowships

Science without Borders - Ciência sem Fronteiras