Rachel Wheatley

Dr. Rachel Wheatley is a Vice-Chancellor Illuminate Fellow at Queen's University Belfast's School of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Global Food Security. Her research focuses on evolutionary microbiology, particularly the interplay between antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens and their surrounding microbiome. She transitioned from studying nitrogen-fixing symbionts during her PhD to investigating within-patient antibiotic resistance evolution during a postdoc, later expanding into lung microbiome research during an early-career fellowship. Her work bridges fundamental microbiology with clinical applications, addressing how microbial communities influence pathogen behavior and treatment outcomes.

Education: PhD (2014) in microbiology, postdoctoral research on antibiotic resistance, and an early-career fellowship exploring lung microbiome dynamics. She joined Queen's University Belfast in April 2024.

Research Interests: Dr. Wheatley’s research combines experimental evolution, microbial ecology, and clinical microbiology to understand how microbiome interactions shape antibiotic resistance. Key areas include Pseudomonas aeruginosa dynamics in respiratory infections, phage-microbiome interactions, and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes. She also investigates gender disparities in microbiology collaborations through bibliometric analyses.

Articles Trends: Recent publications emphasize antibiotic resistance evolution in polymicrobial contexts, phage signatures of healthy microbiomes, and symbiotic root colonization mechanisms. Her work frequently integrates clinical data with ecological models to predict pathogen behavior under antibiotic pressure.

• Scientific Awards: Vice-Chancellor Illuminate Fellowship

Advising & Grants: While no advisees are listed, her research has been supported by grants exploring microbiome-driven resistance and symbiotic interactions. She collaborates internationally on projects linking microbiology to global food security.

Labs & Teams: Affiliated with the Institute of Global Food Security, focusing on translating microbiological insights into strategies for sustainable healthcare and agriculture.