Martin Maiden

Professor Martin Maiden is a Professor of Molecular Epidemiology and Head of the Microbiology & Infectious Disease department at the University of Oxford. He holds an honorary Chair at the Department of Biology, University of Cardiff. His research focuses on the population biology and evolution of bacterial pathogens such as Neisseria meningitidis and Campylobacter jejuni, employing a Population Genomics approach combining genomic and phenotypic data. Key areas include vaccine development, antimicrobial resistance, and the impact of vaccination on pathogen populations.

Research interests span understanding host-pathogen interactions, zoonotic transmission dynamics, and ecological changes affecting bacterial speciation. His work integrates epidemiological studies, dynamic modeling, and phylogenetic analysis.

Notable contributions include developing core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) schemes and lineage nomenclature systems (e.g., LIN codes) for bacterial pathogens. His research has implications for public health surveillance and combating antimicrobial resistance.

Group members include postdoctoral researchers (e.g., Dr. Charlene Rodrigues, Dr. Frances Colles) and graduate students (e.g., Made Ananda Krisna). The Maiden Lab collaborates widely, addressing challenges in infectious disease control through genomic epidemiology.