Staff Profile

It is widely accepted that ‘omics methodologies have accelerated our understanding of life at molecular, cellular and organism levels. Our research combines ‘omics methods to link biology (genes) to chemistry (antibiotics). We apply this approach to understand the ‘chemical language’ of microorganisms, and what influences it. This assessment of chemical space across biological parameters can enable informed biodiscovery of new antibiotics. You can find out more about the Duncan lab at: www.medicinesfromthesea.com. 

This year Kate moved to the University of Newcastle (UK) and leads a team focussed on microbial metabolomics and antibiotic discovery. Prior to this Kate completed a Tenure-Track Chancellor’s Fellowship at the University of Strathclyde (2016-2020) and was awarded full tenure to associate professor (2020-2023). Prior to starting her group, Kate completed two Postdoctoral Fellowships at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (California) in Marine Biomedicine and at The Scottish Marine Institute in Marine Biotechnology, a PhD in Biomedical Science (Canada) and a 5-year Masters in Chemistry (Aberdeen, Scotland) with International Placement (Florida). Kate is an advocate for community approaches to data sharing (ActinoBase, NPAtlas, MI-BiG, GNPS etc) and equality in STEMM.