Kevin Purdy

Dr Kevin Purdy is an Associate Professor in Microbial Ecology at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on microbial communities driving global biogeochemical cycles and their role in climate-active gas dynamics (e.g., CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide) across diverse environments, including oceans, lakes, soils, and termite guts. He collaborates with institutions like Queen Mary College, the Natural History Museum, and the University of Essex.

• BA (Hons) Biochemistry, University College, Oxford (1990)
• PhD, University of Essex (1996), focusing on sulphate-reducing bacteria

Research interests include:

• Understanding the relationship between microbial community structure and function
• Analyzing methanogenic archaea in termite gut ecosystems
• Investigating nitrous oxide production in marine oxygen minimum zones

Scientific contributions include the ThermoPhyl software tool for optimizing molecular assays and leading projects like MicroComXT (€1.35M European Commission funding) and NERC-funded Arabian Sea nitrogen cycling studies.