Delma Childers

Dr. Delma Childers is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen's School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, where she has been employed since 2019 (promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2023). She is a key member of the Aberdeen Fungal Group and the Infection and Immunology Research Programme within the Institute of Medical Sciences. Dr. Childers serves as the Programme Lead for the MSc by Research in Medical Sciences and offers Honours and MSc projects in Biomedical Sciences while also acting as a Personal Tutor.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2006-2012)
• BSc in Biology from Schreiner University, Kerrville, Texas (2003-2006)

Dr. Childers' research centers on understanding how fungi adapt to their hosts and antifungal agents to cause infections. Her primary focus investigates how the antifungal-resistant emerging fungal pathogen Candida glabrata (recently renamed Nakaseomyces glabratus) remodels its surface to inhibit host immune activation and control disease outcomes. This work employs cytometric analyses, innate immune interaction assays, and molecular approaches to determine detection mechanisms and immune evasion strategies. Another significant research strand builds on her demonstration that Saccharomyces cerevisiae clinical isolates are predominantly metabolic generalists that have lost glucose repression, exploring how fungal metabolic mechanisms contribute to persistence in hosts. Her overarching goal is to improve understanding of fungal antimicrobial resistance, persistence, and pathogenesis to enhance diagnosis and treatment of serious fungal diseases.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent high-impact contributions to medical mycology, with research spanning cell wall biology, immune evasion mechanisms, metabolic adaptation, and antifungal resistance across Candida species. Recent work reveals sophisticated fungal strategies for manipulating host immune recognition through surface remodeling and environmental sensing.

Her notable recognitions include:

• Scientist of the Week during the 2020 Medical Research Zone
• STEM Ambassador since 2015
• Member of the Young Academy of Scotland (2020-2025)
• Elected Eukaryotic Division member, Microbiology Society (2021-2023)
• Carnegie Trust Research Incentives Grant (2020-2021)
• Royal Society Research Grant (2020-2021)
• Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Round 6 Award (2021-2023)

Dr. Childers actively supervises students including Gabriela Fior Ribeiro (PhD), Erin Slater, Lauren Marshall, and Eszter Denes (MSc researchers), and currently mentors Jonas Lupfer and Logan Tomlinson. She serves as Board of Reviewer for Microbiology journal and participates extensively in public engagement through University of Aberdeen's Doors Open Day, May Festival activities, and Soapbox Science events. Her teaching includes Molecular Microbiology (MC3504) and 'Evaluating and Communicating Research' (MB5529).

As an integral member of the Aberdeen Fungal Group, Dr. Childers collaborates across institutional boundaries to investigate fungal pathogenesis using multidisciplinary approaches that combine molecular biology, immunology, and advanced microscopy to understand host-pathogen dynamics at the cellular level.