Neil Dixon

Dr. Neil Dixon is Reader in Sustainable Biotechnology at the University of Manchester's Department of Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry. His research integrates synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and bioprocess engineering to develop sustainable biotechnological solutions. As a former BBSRC David Phillips Fellow and Enterprise Fellow, Dixon leads a research group focused on engineering biological systems for chemical production and environmental remediation.

Dixon's primary research themes include: 1) Developing genetically encoded biosensors for dynamic pathway control and metabolic engineering, particularly for lignin valorization and plastic biodegradation; 2) Engineering microbial consortia and pathways for consolidated bioprocessing of complex waste streams; 3) Exploiting cellular transport mechanisms for enhanced bioproduction and bioremediation; and 4) Developing novel genetic regulation tools including optimized riboswitch systems for precise metabolic control.

His laboratory has made significant contributions to bioremediation technologies through engineered plasmids for terephthalate degradation, sustainable bioproduction via microbial conversion of waste streams, and fundamental advances in understanding bacterial protein excretion mechanisms. Recent publications demonstrate increasing focus on circular economy approaches for plastic waste valorization and bioremediation applications.