Stephen Kidd

Dr Stephen Kidd is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide's School of Biological Sciences, within the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology. His research focuses on understanding chronic bacterial infections caused by pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae. He investigates how these bacteria survive host and medical stressors through adaptive cell types like persister cells, biofilm cells, and small colony variants (SCVs).

Dr Kidd's work combines microbiology, molecular biology, and '-omics' approaches to study bacterial stress responses. He leads projects on antibiotic tolerance mechanisms, polymicrobial interactions, and the role of osteocytes in bone infections. His lab uses continuous culture systems and laboratory evolution experiments to analyze bacterial population dynamics under stress.

He supervises Honours, Masters, and PhD students in molecular microbiology, offering projects on bacterial stress adaptation, biofilm formation, and pathogen co-infections. His research has been published in high-impact journals, addressing topics from SCV genomic characterization to novel antimicrobial strategies.

• Affiliations: School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide
• Key Research Themes: Chronic infections, antibiotic tolerance, bacterial stress responses, SCV biology