Senior Lecturer · Teesside University, UK

Dr. Bruno Silvester Lopes

Medical Microbiologist · SHLS Life Sciences

Specialising in antimicrobial resistance, molecular epidemiology of foodborne pathogens, and emerging infectious diseases. Research cited by the CDC, EFSA, and Food Standards Scotland — with 71+ peer-reviewed outputs in journals including The Lancet Microbe.

71+
Publications
IF 86
Lancet Microbe
2×
National Award
£2M+
Research Funded
AMR A. baumannii Campylobacter H. pylori Klebsiella Phage Therapy Molecular Epidemiology Food Safety One Health
Collaboration Network
25 collaborators · 8 countries · 73 publications
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Centre
UK
India / Asia
Africa / ME
Europe
Collaborations: India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Ethiopia
Sudan
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
Cited by CDC USA
Food Standards Scotland
FSA (5-star report)
EFSA
Now Accepting PhD Students
Collaborations: India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Ethiopia
Sudan
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
Cited by CDC USA
Food Standards Scotland
FSA (5-star report)
EFSA
Now Accepting PhD Students

Timeline

From Mumbai to Edinburgh to Teesside — a career built on pathogens, data, and discovery.


Areas of Expertise

From hospital-acquired pathogens to food safety surveillance — spanning molecular mechanisms to real-world policy impact.

🦠
Antimicrobial Resistance

Resistance mechanisms in Acinetobacter baumannii including OXA carbapenemases, blaOXA genes, insertion elements (ISAba1), and plasmid-mediated spread across clinical and environmental isolates.

🍗
Campylobacter Epidemiology

Molecular source attribution for human campylobacteriosis. Nationwide emergence of MDR strains (ST5136). £2M+ projects commissioned by DEFRA, BBSRC, FSA, and FSS. Findings cited by the CDC USA.

🧬
Helicobacter pylori

Over half the world's population is colonised with H. pylori. Research investigates alternative therapies, vaccine candidates, and global molecular epidemiology of this high-prevalence gastric pathogen.

🔬
Phage Therapy

Harnessing bacteriophages to tackle MDR Gram-negative infections. Utilises the Galleria mellonella infection model to evaluate efficacy of phage candidates as next-generation therapeutics.

🧫
Klebsiella & Emerging Pathogens

Novel environmental strains of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae harbouring diverse AMR gene arrays. Molecular docking and dynamics of enzyme–drug interactions in carbapenem-resistant organisms.

📢
Science Communication

Two-time national winner of I Am a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here (Microbe Zone 2019 · Health Zone 2023), engaging 1,000+ school pupils in real infectious disease research through public vote.


Key Publications

Spanning 71 peer-reviewed outputs across journals in microbiology, infectious disease, and public health. View all on TeesRep ↗

2022
The Lancet Microbe
Emergence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 in paediatric patients in Shenzhen, China
Patil S., Lopes B.S., Liu S., Wen F.
IF 86.2 ↗
2019
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Nationwide stepwise emergence and evolution of ST5136, a multi-drug resistant strain of Campylobacter jejuni
Lopes B.S.*, Strachan N.J.C., Ramjee M., Thomson A., MacRae M., Shaw S., Forbes K.J.
CDC Featured · IF 7.5 ↗
2021
Systematic & Applied Microbiology
Delineation of a novel environmental phylogroup of the genus Acinetobacter encompassing Acinetobacter terrae sp. nov. and Acinetobacter terrestris sp. nov.
Nemec A., Radolfova-Krizova L., ..., Lopes B.S., Higgins P.G.
New Species ↗
2020
Journal of Medical Microbiology
Molecular docking, dynamics and free energy analyses of Acinetobacter baumannii OXA class enzymes with carbapenems investigating their hydrolytic mechanisms
Ramachandran B., Jeyakanthan J., Lopes B.S.
IF 2.2 ↗
2018
BMC Microbiology
The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages targeting Gram-negative bacteria using the Galleria mellonella infection model
Manohar P., Ramesh N.*, Lopes B.S.*
Phage Therapy ↗
2023
The Lancet Microbe
Multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in young children
Patil S., Chen H., Lopes B.S., Liu S., Wen F.
Lancet Microbe ↗
2023
Pharmaceuticals
The Potential of Alternative Therapies and Vaccine Candidates against Helicobacter pylori
Sukri A., Hanafiah A., Patil S., Lopes B.S.
Review ↗


Funding Opportunities

The Lopes Lab is actively accepting students and collaborators. Select your career stage below for relevant funding routes.

Society for Applied Microbiology
Undergraduate Research Bursary
£160/week + up to £500 research costs
Deadline: At least 6 weeks before proposed start
Microbiology Society
Undergraduate Research Grant
£185/week (up to 8 weeks) + up to £400 costs
Deadline: Mid-February each year
BSAC — British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Vacation Scholarship
£180/week + £500 consumables grant
Deadline: 31 March each year
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
Commonwealth Masters Scholarships
Full tuition + living stipend
For citizens of Commonwealth countries
Chinese Scholarship Council
CSC PhD Scholarship
Full funding for Chinese nationals
Annual call — check CSC website
NERC
Doctoral Training Partnership
Full stipend + tuition fees
UK / EU students — annual intake
Ciência sem Fronteiras
Science without Borders — PhD
Brazilian government doctoral award
Via CAPES / CNPq portals
European Commission
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship
Competitive EU-funded fellowship
Annual call — typically September
Royal Society
Newton International Fellowship
For early-career international researchers
Annual call — Royal Society website
Ciência sem Fronteiras
Science without Borders — Post-doc
Post-doctoral award for Brazilian researchers
Via CAPES / CNPq portals

Contact & Collaboration

Now Accepting
PhD Students

The Lopes Lab welcomes applications from motivated PhD candidates in antimicrobial resistance, Campylobacter epidemiology, phage therapy, Helicobacter pylori, and related areas of medical microbiology.

Apply Now ↗
Institution
SHLS Life Sciences
Teesside University
Middlesbrough, United Kingdom