School of Life Sciences
 

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Liz Sockett

Emeritus Professor FRS, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

BSc University of Leeds 1983; PhD University College London 1986; Research Associate, University of Illinois 1986-88; Research Associate, University of Oxford 1988-1990. Lecturer (1991-98) University of Nottingham Life Sciences. Lecturer (1998) Snr Lecturer (2001) Reader(2004) Professor (2005), University of Nottingham Institute of Genetics.

Lord Dearing Award 2000, Royal Society BAAS Millennium Award 2000, Society for General Microbiology Peter Wildy Prize 2006, Daiwa-Adrian Prize for Anglo-Japanese Science 2007.

University of Nottingham Student Union's Tutor Oscar 2011 and Research Supervisor Oscar 2013.

Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology 2017.

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society 2019.

Awarded CBE for Services to Microbiology in the Platinum Jubilee Honours List June 2022

Retired and became Professor Emerita December 31st 2024

Expertise Summary

Bdellovibrio predatory bacteria- molecular biology and applications.

Teaching Summary

I retired in December 2024 but really enjoyed teaching amazing undergrads and postgrads over 33 years.

From summer 1991 up until summer 2022 I taught microbiology on undergraduate modules at Nottingham- all with specialisms in bacteriology. I also trained BSc and Master students with the able help of my lab colleagues.

From October 2022 I have reduced my hours and am no longer teaching or taking students in the lab. This is to help me look after my husband who was seriously ill in 2021. It also allows myself and our former lab research staff to write up our projects with the time I have available. I will miss teaching you all after 31 years of it!

I'm very grateful for the kind nominations that were linked to my teaching and student supervision over the years. Thank you students past and present for your enthusiasm and response to my teaching. Thanks in part to you:-

The University kindly awarded me a Lord Dearing Prize for teaching in 2000.

The UK Microbiology Society (SGM) awarded me the Peter Wildy Prize in 2006 for communicating and teaching about microbiology.

The Nottingham Student's Union kindly awarded me a "Tutor Oscar" in 2010-11 in the Category of Best All Rounder.

I was chosen as one of the "100 Heroes of the Students Union" to celebrate its centenary.

I was humbled to be awarded a CBE for services to Microbiology, in the Platinum Jubilee Honours list, in 2022.

I have really enjoyed teaching Nottingham students, and am so proud of all the amazing careers you have gone on to. Its always great when people get in touch with an update. If anyone who studied on LIFE2009 or LIFE3035 modules with me, needs some careers advice, I'm still happy to answer emails and look at applications for jobs or future study. Bacteria will always be amazing on all our lives!

Research Summary

I retired Decembeer 31st 2024 and so I'm sorry but I no longer have an active research group. We are publishing some final papers from our work.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

Our research group studied the predatory delta-Proteobacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. Bdellovibrio are tiny bacteria that naturally invade and eat the pathogenic bacteria that cause skin ulcer, burn & pressure sore infections in people, whilst not being infectious. Our lab has sadly had to close in November 2023 due to family illness and I retired to become Professor Emerita Dec 31st 2024. Iam currently working to complete research papers with my former lab colleagues.

With our multidisciplinary approaches our lab's achievements include:

  • The establishment of a genetic system to manipulate Bdellovibrio showing that flagellar motility, although important for locating prey, is not essential for prey-entry, but that surface pili are.
  • Identification of a group of prey-bacterial genes that are upregulated by Bdellovibrio attack. From these genes, identification of bacterial cell wall modifications key to predation of bacteria have been studied in collaboration with Prof Andrew Lovering at University of Bimrnigham. Those include cyclic di GMP signalling proteins, bacterial cell wall degrading and modifying proteins and adhesive proteins at the predator-prey interface.
  • Establishing that predation by Bdellovibrio works on crops and animal pathogens and is safe, given orally, in animals (chickens) With Dr Rob Atterbury and Dr Laura Hobley.
  • Establishing that Bdellovibrio predation is effective in bodily fluids including serum and begun characterising the immune response of humans to Bdellovibrio.
  • Using a Zebrafish infection model and showing Bdellovibrio predation cures Gram-negative pathogen infections and that the host immune system contributes. In collaboration with Dr Serge Mostowy.

School of Life Sciences

University of Nottingham
Medical School
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham NG7 2UH

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