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Hire Dr. Jonathan N.

United Kingdom

USD 70 /hr

Senior Microbiology Scientist | Microbiome, NGS & Infection Diagnostics Expert | AMR, Biofilms & Translational Research

Profile Summary

I am a PhD-qualified Senior Microbiology Scientist with over 12 years of experience in molecular microbiology, microbiome research, and infection diagnostics across academic, clinical, and industry settings. I specialise in applying genomic and molecular tools to solve complex challenges in infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and microbiome analysis. My expertise spans the full workflow of microbiome and pathogen research, including Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), metagenomics (16S and whole genome approaches), qPCR assay development, and bioinformatics analysis. I have extensive hands-on experience with Oxford Nanopore technologies, library preparation, and optimisation of sequencing pipelines for both research and clinical applications. In my recent industry role, I led R&D projects focused on microbiome diagnostics, including the development of vaginal microbiome profiling pipelines, validation of immunoassays (e.g., cytokine detection), and large-scale biobanking of over 20,000 clinical samples. I also conducted comparative evaluations of commercial microbiome platforms, providing strategic insights into technology performance and application. My research background includes developing innovative infection models (including ex vivo wound and bladder models), studying biofilms, and exploring bacteriophage-based approaches. I have authored 20+ peer-reviewed publications and contributed to translational research aimed at improving early infection detection and patient outcomes. I bring a strong track record of delivering high-quality, reproducible scientific work, alongside experience in laboratory leadership, ISO 15189 compliance, and mentoring research teams.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Microbiology
• ☆ Microbiome Research
• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ PCR
• ☆ Molecular Cloning
• ☆ Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
• ☆ DNA Sequencing
• ☆ Gene Expression Analysis
• ☆ Genome Sequencing
• ☆ Mutagenesis
• ☆ Recombinant DNA
• ☆ Plasmid DNA
• ☆ Pathogenesis
• ☆ Clinical Microbiology
• ☆ Leadership
• ☆ In vitro Diagnostics
• ☆ In vitro Diagnostic Validation
• ☆ In vitro Diagnostic Design
• ☆ Biomarker Analysis
• ☆ Infectious Disease
• ☆ Antibiotic Resistance Research
• ☆ Peer Review
• ☆ Technology Scouting
• ☆ Fact Checking
• ☆ Literature Search
• ☆ Gap Analysis

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Product Development

Writing Technical Writing, Audio Transcription, General Proofreading & Editing, Translation

Research Meta-Research, Technology Scouting, Fact Checking, Gap Analysis, Gray Literature Search, Scientific and Technical Research, Systematic Literature Review

Consulting Healthcare Consulting, Scientific and Technical Consulting

Product Development Product Validation, Quality Assurance & Control (QA/QC), Prototyping

Work Experience

Face-to-face interpreter

Word360

March 2026 - Present

Visiting Senior Research Associate

University of Bath

January 2023 - Present

Associate Senior Scientist

Invivo Healthcare

January 2023 - December 2025

Research Associate

University of Bath

July 2018 - January 2023

Research Fellow

University of Brighton

May 2015 - July 2018

Research Officer

Unversity of Brighton

August 2013 - May 2015

Education

PhD (Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences)

University of Brighton - Moulsecoomb Campus

November 2009 - April 2014

MSC Food Technology

University of Strathclyde

September 2007 - October 2008

BSc (Hons) Food Sciences and Technology

National University of Rwanda - Rwanda

September 2001 - October 2005

Certifications

• ISO accreditation

  Microba

  June 2025 - Present

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Jonathan Nzakizwanayo, Anthony J Slate, Ocean E Clarke, Mina Kerio, Bhavik Anil Patel, Brian V Jones (2023). Infection responsive coatings to reduce biofilm formation and encrustation of urinary catheters . Journal of Applied Microbiology.

O. E. Clarke, H. Pelling, V. Bennett, T. Matsumoto, G. E. Gregory, J. Nzakizwanayo, A. J. Slate, A. Preston, M. Laabei, L. J. Bock, et al. (2023). Lipopolysaccharide structure modulates cationic biocide susceptibility and crystalline biofilm formation in Proteus mirabilis . Frontiers in Microbiology.

(2021). Antibiotic Therapy and the Gut Microbiome: Investigating the Effect of Delivery Route on Gut Pathogens . ACS infectious diseases.

(2019). De-repression of the smvA efflux system arises in clinical isolates of Proteus mirabilis and reduces susceptibility to chlorhexidine and other biocides . Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy.

(2019). Genomic and Ecogenomic Characterization of Proteus mirabilis Bacteriophages . Frontiers in microbiology.

(2019). The potential of nanoflow liquid chromatography-nano electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry for global profiling the faecal metabolome . Journal of chromatography. A.

(2019). Bacterial biofilm formation on indwelling urethral catheters . Letters in applied microbiology.

(2019). An In Vitro Bladder Model for Studying Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection and Associated Analysis of Biofilms . Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.).

(2018). Emerging medical and engineering strategies for the prevention of long-term indwelling catheter blockage . Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine.

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Alves, Diana R., Booth, Simon P., Scavone, Paola, Schellenberger, Pascale, Salvage, Jonathan, Dedi, Cinzia, Thet, Naing-Tun, Jenkins, A. Toby A., Waters, Ryan, et al. (2018). Development of a High-Throughput ex-Vivo Burn Wound Model Using Porcine Skin, and Its Application to Evaluate New Approaches to Control Wound Infection .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Milo, Scarlet, Hathaway, Hollie, Alves, Diana R., Perez Esteban, Patricia, Jones, Brian V., Jenkins, A. Toby A. (2017). Prevention of encrustation and blockage of urinary catheters by:Proteus mirabilis via pH-triggered release of bacteriophage .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Ogilvie, Lesley, Guppy, Fergus, Dedi, Cinzia, Diston, David, Taylor, Huw, Ebdon, James, Jones, Brian (2017). Resolution of habit-associated ecogenomic signatures in bacteriophage genomes and application to microbial source tracking .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Milo, Scarlet, Thet, Naing Tun, Liu, Dan, Jones, Brian V., Jenkins, A. Toby A. (2016). An in-situ infection detection sensor coating for urinary catheters .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Ribeiro Alves, Diana, Thet, N.T., Booth, S., Young, A.E.R., Jones, Brian, Jenkins, Toby A. (2015). Prototype development of the intelligent hydrogel wound dressing and its efficacy in the detection of model pathogenic wound biofilms .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Savory, Nasa, Abe, Koichi, Yoshida, Wataru, Ferri, Stefano, Dedi, Cinzia, Jones, Brian, Ikebukuro, Kazunori (2014). Selection of DNA aptamers against uropathogenic Escherichia coli NSM59 by quantitative PCR controlled Cell-SELEX .

Jonathan Nzakizwanayo, Sandeep Kumar, Lesley A Ogilvie, Bhavik A Patel, Cinzia Dedi, Wendy M Macfarlane, Brian V Jones Disruption of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 K5 capsule biosynthesis, through loss of distinct kfi genes, modulates interaction with intestinal epithelial cells and impact on cell health .

OTHER

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Scavone, Paola, Jamshidi, Shirin, Hawthorne, Joseph A., Pelling, Harriet, Dedi, Cinzia, Salvage, Jonathan P., Hind, Charlotte K., Guppy, Fergus M., Barnes, Lara M., et al. (2017). Fluoxetine and thioridazine inhibit efflux and attenuate crystalline biofilm formation by Proteus mirabilis .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Hanin, Aurélie, Alves, Diana R., McCutcheon, Benjamin, Dedi, Cinzia, Salvage, Jonathan, Knox, Karen, Stewart, Bruce, Metcalfe, Anthony, Clark, Jason, et al. (2016). Bacteriophage Can Prevent Encrustation and Blockage of Urinary Catheters by Proteus mirabilis .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Kumar, Sandeep, Ogilvie, Lesley A., Patel, Bhavik A., Dedi, Cinzia, Macfarlane, Wendy M., Jones, Brian V. (2015). Disruption of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 K5 Capsule Biosynthesis, through Loss of Distinct kfi genes, Modulates Interaction with Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Impact on Cell Health .

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan, Dedi, Cinzia, Standen, Guy, Macfarlane, Wendy M., Patel, Bhavik A., Jones, Brian V. (2015). Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 enhances bioavailability of serotonin in gut tissues through modulation of synthesis and clearance .

Holling, N., Lednor, D., Tsang, S., Bissell, A., Campbell, L., Nzakizwanayo, J., Dedi, C., Hawthorne, J. A., Hanlon, G., Ogilvie, L. A., et al. (2014). Elucidating the Genetic Basis of Crystalline Biofilm Formation in Proteus mirabilis .

SUPERVISED STUDENT PUBLICATION

Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan (2014). Investigation of host-microbe interactions in the probiotic bacteria Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 .