Dr James Wheeler
James is a research fellow in the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, focussing on biofilm development in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
What attracted you to apply for a University of Liverpool Research Fellowship?
One of the main things that initially attracted me was the wide eligibility criteria. This was the first fellowship I had applied for and I was on the edge about applying, perhaps doubting I was quite ready. But Liverpool's criteria helped give me the confidence to believe that applications from across a range of career stages would be welcome.
The wide range of training and career development opportunities offered was also a major pull factor for me, particularly as an applicant with relatively few years of post-PhD experience. Finally, Liverpool is a fantastic city, and I’ve absolutely loved it since moving here five years ago to live with my partner.
What is your research about and what types of scientific techniques do you make use of?
I study bacterial behaviour within biofilms - surface-attached communities typically comprising many thousands of individual microbes. Biofilms are abundant throughout natural and industrial settings. Many regions of our bodies are coated in biofilms too, where they play myriad roles in supporting, or damaging our health.
We have pioneered an experimental approach based on using microfluidic channels - fluid-filled channels with dimensions similar to a human hair - to grow bacterial biofilms under precisely defined conditions. We then use high resolution microscopy and massively parallel cell tracking to follow and analyse the behaviour of thousands of individual cells during biofilm development as we attempt to better understand this fascinating and highly successful mode of life.
A lot of the time, it feels like filming a nature documentary like BBC’s Blue Planet, but on a microscopic scale.
What or who first inspired you to be interested in your research subject?
My first real interest was in plant biology, but prior to my PhD work, I was fortunate enough to undertake a series of short research projects and it was during this time that I met my eventual PhD supervisors who almost immediately set in motion a new found love for all things microbe.
The beauty of microbes is how readily they can be grown and manipulated, at least for most model organisms - in some instances, we would be stumbling upon fascinating unanswered questions, setting up cell cultures, and running experiments to look for answers the following day. Fortunately, my supervisors gave me a great deal of creative freedom and support and I have been hooked ever since.
What are you most proud of achieving during your research career so far?
In the last few years, I have begun training several graduate students. Seeing my research and ideas form the basis of a new round of projects that new researchers are taking forwards has provided some real pinch-me moments. Helping these students to begin navigating the challenges of a research career is incredibly exciting and gratifying. When you start to realise that you have more ideas and questions than one could ever possibly investigate alone, the process of training others becomes a central aspect of our work.
Which other subjects are important for your research?
Research into bacterial biofilms is an inherently interdisciplinary problem requiring: molecular biologists to handle the bacteria; mathematicians to generate models of bacterial behaviour; physicists to understand how life operates in a physical environment that is so unlike that which we face as large multicellular organisms; engineers to design and operate microfluidic experiments used for culturing and manipulating biofilms; immunologists for investigating host-biofilm interactions and; biochemists, pharmacologists and clinicians to develop new treatments. This is both the challenge and the joy of the field.
What is the key to running a successful research project?
Two things that I think are particularly important. The first is fostering collaboration. Biofilm research is a team effort and a willingness to collaborate leads to the most exciting and rewarding projects.
The second is flexibility. Research is by its very nature highly unpredictable; not all avenues lead to expected outcomes and it’s important to take time to keep your head above the water, review the bigger picture and not be afraid to discuss and explore new directions.
How do you plan to develop your research in the future?
To date, my main focus has been on basic research but my aim increasingly is to take what we’ve found and try to understand it all in the context of host infection. Joining the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology at Liverpool that has such a strong focus on clinically-oriented research has been a significant first step in this direction. It has been hugely exciting - and very new territory for me - to be surrounded by so many fantastic researchers who have a decidedly more clinical focus than I’ve been used to previously.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in research?
Contact researchers across a range of career stages, from PhD students to Professors, and discuss your ideas and career goals with them at every opportunity. Usually, researchers are more than happy to meet (either online or in person). Before deciding to move to Liverpool, I met with a range of University of Liverpool researchers across several departments and those conversations helped shape my application and gave me the confidence that I was moving in the right direction.
Confirming that you will be able to forge positive relationships with other researchers in the group you are hoping to join, or across your new host department, is essential for a successful and fulfilling research career. Everyone has different experience and can offer different advice that you can learn from too.