Microbiology

John Morrissey graduated in 1990 from University College Cork with a BSc in Microbiology. He subsequently moved to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany to carry out research for his PhD in the area of yeast cell biology and was awarded a PhD for this research in 1994. His post-doctoral research career brought him first to the University of California, Berkeley, USA (1995-1997) and then to the John Innes Research Centre, Norwich, UK (1998-2000).  In UC Berkeley, his research continued the theme of his PhD and focused on regulation of gene expression in yeast.  At the John Innes Centre, his research focus then shifted to fungi, where he worked mainly on fungi that causes disease in crop plants. In 2000 & 2001, he took up research and teaching positions in the Department of Microbiology, UCC and since 2003 has led his own research group of postgraduate and post-doctoral scientists working in the broad areas of microbial ecology, microbe-host interactions and yeast biotechnology.  His research has been widely published  in scientific journals.  He is also actively involved in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and teaches modules in Microbiology, Genetics and Biotechnology.