​​About Alex

Alex is a native of South East England and spent many years living in the heart of London, studying at Imperial College. After developing an interest in microbiology as an undergraduate, he continued to specialise in the study of pathogenic bacteria, joining the lab of Prof. Sophie Helaine as a Ph.D. student. His research there focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of genetic elements called toxin-antitoxin systems, primarily in Salmonella.

Alex emigrated to Boston with the Helaine Lab when it joined the Department of Microbiology at HMS in 2019, helping to establish the lab stateside. Having spent many enjoyable years studying pathogens he is excited to be joining the Jost Lab to explore the fascinating world of the microbiome, and in particular how the plethora of non-pathogenic travel companions in our guts communicate with us, profoundly impacting our physiology.

Outside of the lab, Alex enjoys staying active and can often be found running up and down Boston's Emerald Necklace. He also tries to play the guitar (with limited success), and has just started learning Spanish on Duolingo (with even more limited success)...feel free to ask him how he's getting on so he feels compelled to keep up the practice routine.