Professional summary
Tessa is a Molecular Biology Technician within the Molecular Ecology Group at UKCEH. Her work focuses on understanding how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emerges within microbial communities, with particular emphasis on those in UK freshwater ecosystems. Alongside AMR surveillance, she helps investigate how anthropogenic pressures (e.g. industrial pollution, wastewater discharge, agricultural runoff, and pharmaceutical residues) influence the occurrence and distribution of resistant microbes in aquatic ecosystems.
She is currently involved in the delivery of the UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) Chemicals Investigation Programme 4 (CIP4), supporting research into how wastewater and biosolids treatment processes affect receiving environments. Her work helps identify the pathways through which pathogens, resistant microbes, and chemical contaminants enter freshwater systems, contributing to national efforts to better understand and mitigate the spread of AMR.
Tessa holds a BSc in Biochemistry with Molecular Biology & Biotechnology from the University of Bristol, and an MSc in Microbiome in Health & Disease from King鈥檚 College London.