معرفی
Jessica Friedersdorff is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (Ser Cymru II) and Associate Lecturer at Aberystwyth University's Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences (IBERS). Her academic profile spans microbiology, bioinformatics, and virology with a specialized focus on bacteriophages and microbiome research.
Educational Background:
- BSc in Biomedical Science
- MSc in Infection and Immunity
- PhD in Biological Sciences (completed at Aberystwyth University)
Friedersdorff identifies as both a microbiologist and bioinformatician with a passionate research focus on bacteriophages and their ecological roles within microbiomes. Her doctoral work investigated the complex rumen microbiome, an understudied yet critically important system with implications for sustainable food production, future agriculture, and climate change mitigation. She actively pursues funding opportunities to continue research on phage-mediated microbiome regulation in ruminants.
Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent productivity with publications spanning 2018-2022, showing increasing specialization in rumen microbiology while maintaining interdisciplinary connections to wildlife microbiology and even cultural botany. The research trajectory reveals a strong focus on applying genomic and bioinformatic approaches to understand microbial communities in agricultural and ecological contexts, with particular attention to bacteriophage-bacteria interactions and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.
Friedersdorff teaches across multiple undergraduate modules at IBERS and has experience supervising undergraduate students and A-level Nuffield placements. She has also taught in Computer Science departments, reflecting her interdisciplinary bioinformatics expertise. Her external position as Research Scientist at Dynamic Extractions demonstrates industry engagement. Her research contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.
She led or co-investigated the project 'Bacteriophages as agents of rumen microbiome regulation of feed efficiency and methane emissions' (2016-2019), funded by the Welsh European Funding Office, indicating her leadership in applying phage research to agricultural sustainability challenges.
