Qualifications

Isabelle earned her PhD in microbial molecular biology at the University of Munich (LMU).

About

Isabelle’s PhD in molecular microbiology focused on virulence factors of the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. After several years working in the pharmaceutical industry as a medical writer, Isabelle moved to New Zealand and joined PHF Science in 2013. At PHF Science, Isabelle leads and contributes to a wide range of projects spanning food safety and microbial freshwater quality. A major focus of her work is environmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in wastewater systems. Isabelle has a strong interest in understanding the role of wastewater streams, stormwater, and receiving environmental waters in the transmission of AMR to humans and animals. Her work also explores the diverse drivers influencing AMR in the environment, including extreme rainfall events and a changing climate. Central questions underpinning her research include whether AMR in the natural environment in Aotearoa New Zealand poses a risk to human and animal health, and how the release of resistant bacteria, resistance genes, and antimicrobials into the environment via various waste streams can be reduced. To address these questions, Isabelle and the team are establishing and refining laboratory methods and bioinformatics approaches to investigate AMR in raw and treated sewage, municipal and on site wastewater treatment systems, and contaminated surface waters. Their work includes isolating and characterising resistant bacteria, as well as using environmental DNA metagenomic approaches to investigate resistance genes and how their abundance and diversity change across wastewater treatment processes, environmental conditions, and seasons.

Publications