Dr Harry Child

My broad research interests entail utilising molecular biology and next generation sequencing techniques to understand how microorganisms interact with their hosts and the environment and influence both agricultural and environmental processes. My current research aims to understand the role of soil microbial communities in the sequestration of carbon.

I received my PhD from the University of Exeter investigating the interaction between the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici and wheat. I then went on to become a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Dr Aaron Jeffries in the Exeter Sequencing Facility, carrying out environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for the UK Health Security Agency and conducting research into genomic monitoring of other viral pathogens in wastewater.

I then moved to the Geography department as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Dr Richard Tennant, where I currently investigate the contribution of microbial communities to soil carbon sequestration. This involves using both field and lab experimental soil samples in combination with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing to understand soil nutrient cycling in microorganisms, with the aim to understand how soil management strategies can maximise carbon sequestration.