Simon Foster

Professor Simon Foster is a West Riding Chair in Microbiology and Faculty Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Sheffield's School of Biosciences. His career includes roles as Director of the Krebs Institute and Professor of Molecular Microbiology since 1999. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge (1984-1986) and University of Leeds (1983-1984).

Research Interests:
Focusing on bacterial cell wall architecture, Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Key areas include cell wall dynamics, antibiotic action elucidation, and host-pathogen interactions. His work combines molecular microbiology with advanced microscopy techniques like STORM to study Staphylococcus aureus at unprecedented resolution.

Key Achievements:
- Developed models of bacterial cell wall synthesis and antibiotic efficacy using zebrafish.
- Pioneered super-resolution imaging approaches for cell wall analysis.
- Investigated intracellular bacterial survival and immune evasion mechanisms.
- Contributed to understanding clonal expansion during infections.
- Explored synergistic antibiotic effects on biofilms and in vivo efficacy.

Lab Affiliations:
Krebs Institute (2008-2017) and current leadership in interdisciplinary research initiatives.