David Lea-Smith

Dr David Lea-Smith is an Associate Professor in Microbiology at the University of East Anglia's School of Biological Sciences, affiliated with Molecular Microbiology and ClimateUEA. His research focuses on bacterial cell biology, synthetic biology toolsets for cyanobacteria, and their applications in carbon capture, compound production, and bioremediation. He leads a lab developing genetic engineering tools for diverse microorganisms, including the fast-growing cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 11901 and deep-sea microbes like Alcanivorax TEM35 from the Mariana Trench.

Key achievements include creating comprehensive Golden Gate cloning systems for cyanobacteria, developing a mutant library for Synechocystis PCC 6803, and discovering novel microbial populations in the Mariana Trench involved in hydrocarbon cycling. He is Principal Investigator on projects funded by BBSRC, NERC, and UKRI, focusing on hydrocarbon utilization, deep-sea microbiology, and synthetic biology platforms.

Research interests span microbial physiology, subcellular proteomics, and global biogeochemical cycles, with contributions to understanding the 'short term hydrocarbon cycle' and membrane curvature mechanisms in photosynthetic organisms. His lab's work has been published in high-impact journals like Nature Microbiology and Plant Physiology, and he curates the Synechocystis BioCyc database.