Joel Weadge

Joel Weadge is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario. His research focuses on bacterial biofilms, glycobiology, and protein structure-function relationships. Contact: jweadge@wlu.ca, Office: BA425 (Bricker Academic).

• Education:
  • PhD in Microbiology (University of Guelph, 2006)
  • BSc (Hons) in Microbiology (University of Guelph, 2000)

Research Interests center on bacterial biofilms as virulence factors in pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella. Key areas include:

• Structural and functional characterization of biofilm proteins (cellulose, curli fimbriae)
• Enzymology of carbohydrate modifications (acetylation, phosphoethanolamine transfer)
• Developing therapeutics targeting biofilm synthesis
• Biopolymer applications for medical/industrial use

Publications highlight studies on Pseudomonas and Salmonella biofilm mechanisms, glycosyltransferases, and carbohydrate-active enzymes, with methodologies spanning X-ray crystallography to high-throughput biofilm profiling.

Labs and Teams: The Weadge Lab investigates biofilm roles in food/water security and oral health, utilizing enzymology, mass spectrometry, and structural biology. Current members include graduate students, technicians, and research assistants.