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We had a fun and productive time at year’s lab retreat at the Budock Vean hotel with the van Houte lab ! Despite the rainy weather and golfers getting soaked outside the window, we were snug and warm inside catching up with our lab members’ work with a relaxing two days of presentations fueled by plenty of […]

Our yearly lab potluck this May was a great time as usual! Although we were forced to hold it inside due to some distinctly Cornish weather, the delicious food and warm company more than made up for it. The cooking prowess of our lab members is deeply impressing every year, and it’s always exciting to […]

Our lab retreat in collaboration with the van Houte lab at the Budock Vean hotel in Mawnan Smith was a great success! It was a wonderful chance to catch up on what our lab members have been working on over a relaxed two days of presentations, kayaking, and a fierce ping-pong battle.

Recognized for: Discovering how environmental factors drive evolution of the bacterial immune system CRISPR in concert with bacteria-infecting viruses, or phages. A greater understanding of the evolution of the CRISPR immune system may aid in tackling the problem of anti-microbial resistance. Edze has again been awarded this prestigious Award in recognition of the continued outstanding CRISPR […]

The 2020 Fleming Prize is awarded to Professor Edze Westra from the University of Exeter, for his work on the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary ecology of CRISPR-Cas systems. The Fleming Prize is named after Sir Alexander Fleming, founder and first President of the Microbiology Society, then named the Society for General Microbiology (1945–1947) and is awarded to […]

Prof. Westra became finalist for the 2020 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK in Life Sciences. He is recognized for discovering how ecology can drive the evolution of the bacterial CRISPR immune system to battle the viruses—or phages—that infect bacteria and how a greater understanding of the evolution of the CRISPR immune system […]

From the 6th-8th of June, we were active at the Royal Cornwall Show with an activity stand teaching families about bacteria, phages, and antibiotic resistance. David, Bridget, Sean and Ellie talked to countless children and their parents over these three days and got them enthusiastic about bacteria, bringing across why antibiotic resistance is a problem […]

Don’t miss our upcoming CRISPR Ecology and Evolution meeting in London, organised together with the Royal Society! Registration is free! This meeting will take place 18-19 February 2019 and will focus on the evolutionary ecology of CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems of prokaryotes, and their applications for ecological engineering including the associated ethical and policy considerations. This meeting will bring together scientists […]

At the end of October, we treated ourselves to an afternoon out. In Truro, we visited the local Cornish Skinner’s Brewery. We took part in a tour through the small, family-run business and learnt about their beer-making process before sampling the different ales Skinners produce. To finish the evening, we had a team meal out […]

Clare, David and Ellie recently volunteered at the annual University of Exeter “Science in the Square” event. The day was all about inspiring young people and getting them interested in science. There were 7 interactive zones for the kids to explore, showcasing different aspects of the research carried out on Exeter’s Penryn campus. Ellie was […]