Role
Dr Gareth McVicker is a senior lecturer and researcher in microbiology at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé and is based at the Clifton Campus. Dr McVicker teaches on various modules at all degree stages, in the topics of general microbiology, microbial genetics and molecular pathogenesis. His research focuses on the maintenance and transmission of mobile genetic elements encoding virulence and resistance traits in bacteria.
Career overview
Dr McVicker obtained his PhD from the University of Kent with Dr Ian Blomfield working on regulation of virulence gene expression in E. coli. He went on to complete a postdoctoral position at the University of Sheffield with Prof Simon Foster, working on the impact of antimicrobial resistance on systemic Staphylococcus aureus infection. After this, Dr McVicker studied the mechanisms underlying differential virulence plasmid stability in Shigella with Prof Christoph Tang at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford. He has taught at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé since December 2016.
Research areas
Dr McVicker’s research focusses on the contribution of toxin-antitoxin modules and other stability systems to both the vertical and horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements within bacterial populations, using pathogenic E. coli as a model. Of particular interest are enteropathogens with unusual, diverse or poorly-characterised plasmids, such as E. coli O157:H7 and O104:H4. Dr McVicker currently supervises one PhD student and has supervised a range of MSc/MRes/MBiol students in his time at NTU.
External activity
- Member of the and
- External examiner for the University of Reading
Publications
Whelan R, McVicker G and Leo JC, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2020, 21 (11), 4102
McVicker G, Hollingshead S, Pilla G and Tang CM, Molecular Microbiology, 2019, 111 (5), 1355–1366
McVicker G, MiSAC 50th Anniversary Article Collection, 2019
Pilla G, McVicker G and Tang CM, PLOS Genetics, 2017, 13 (9), e1007014
. McVicker G and Tang CM, Nature Microbiology, 2016, 2, 16204
. McDowell MA, Marcoux J, McVicker G, Johnson S, Fong YH, Stevens R, Bowman LAH, Degiacomi MT, Yan J, Wise A, Friede ME, Benesch JLP, Deane JE, Tand CM, Robinson CV and Lea SM, Molecular Microbiology, 2016, 99 (4), 749–766
. McVicker G, Prajsnar TK, Williams A, Wagner NL, Boots M, Renshaw SA and Foster SJ, PLOS Pathogens, 2014, 10 (2)
. Moores A, Chipper-Keating S, Sun L, McVicker G, Wales L, Gashi K and Blomfield IC, Journal of Bacteriology, 2014, 196 (1), 148–156
. Prajsnar TK, Hamilton R, Garcia-Lara J, McVicker G, Williams A, Boots M, Foster SJ and Renshaw SA, Cellular Microbiology, 14 (10), 1600–1619
. McVicker G, Sun L, Sohanpal BK, Gashi K, Williamson RA, Plumbridge J and Blomfield IC, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2011, 286 (37), 32026–32035
Press expertise
- Bacterial food poisoning outbreaks, including E. coli
- Genetic causes of the spread of antibiotic resistance
- Bacterial genetics and how bacteria are able to cause disease
The following UN Sustainable Goals relate to Dr McVicker's work.
