Chris Bayliss

Professor Chris Bayliss leads the Bacterial Genetics research group as Professor of Bacterial Genetics at the University of Leicester's Department of Genetics and Genome Biology. His research investigates hypermutable DNA mechanisms in bacterial pathogens, focusing on how genetic variation enables adaptation, spread, and virulence in meningitis-causing bacteria.

Key research areas include phase variation dynamics, vaccine development against meningococcal disease, and high-throughput phenotype-genotype mapping. Bayliss developed novel screening methods for large bacterial isolate collections and contributed to understanding transmission dynamics of hypervirulent meningococcal clones.

With a background spanning vaccinia virology and molecular bacteriology, Bayliss employs genetic, genomic, and computational approaches to study bacterial evolution. His research group includes postdoctoral researchers, research assistants, and PhD students. Education includes BSc (Aberystwyth) and PhD in virology, followed by positions at Oxford and Nottingham before joining Leicester.