معرفی
Professor James McDonald is a Professor of Microbial Ecology at the University of Birmingham's School of Biosciences, affiliated with the Institute of Microbiology and Infection and the College of Life and Environmental Sciences. His research focuses on engineering microbiomes to address global challenges such as waste management, sustainable fuel production, and combating tree diseases like acute oak decline. He holds a BSc from the University of Manchester and a PhD from the University of Liverpool.
Research themes include microbiome engineering in host-associated and environmental systems, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystem function. Key projects involve waste biomass conversion to biogas and disease suppression in trees. McDonald is also interested in cross-system microbiome principles.
He has published extensively on topics like wastewater virome dynamics, SARS-CoV-2 monitoring, and microbial community analysis. Awards include the Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2014). McDonald currently supervises 6 PhD and 2 Master’s students, with a focus on microbiome engineering and tree health.
Advising and grants include collaborations with the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFor) and interdisciplinary teams. His work integrates cultivation-based and molecular approaches, emphasizing practical solutions for environmental and health challenges.
