Katherine Baxter

Dr. Katherine Baxter is a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow, affiliated with the School of Molecular Biosciences and the Plant Science Group. Her work focuses on bacteriocins targeting Blackleg Disease in potato, microbial communities in health and disease, and biofilm formation in both plant and clinical contexts.

• PhD in Cell Wall Integrity Pathways (2005)
• Experience in Biotech industry, NHS, and Further Education (2014–2020)
• Medical Research Scotland Daphne Jackson Fellowship (2020)

Her research spans microbiology, photobiology, and materials science, including UV-B photoreceptor mechanisms (Arabidopsis thaliana), biofilm dynamics (Candida albicans/Staphylococcus aureus), and optically tractable medical device mimics. She has developed novel imaging methods for biofilm analysis and contributed to understanding microbial community interactions.

Scientific awards include:

• Medical Research Scotland Daphne Jackson Fellowship

Katherine is actively involved in Space Biology through NASA's STAR program, Ames Life Science Data Archive analysis working group, and co-leads the Microbes AWG Biofilms subgroup. She also coordinates the UK Space Life and Biomedical Sciences Association.