Personal Statement
Steve received a degree in Genetics from Edinburgh and a PhD from Cambridge, followed by post-doctoral positions and a lectureship at Stirling before moving to Liverpool in 2003. His research focuses on genetic diversity and evolution in host-parasite interactions using clinical, laboratory and veterinary models. He helped pioneer the evolve and resequence approach to experimental evolution and has worked widely in RNAseq, population genomics, microbiomes and epigenetics. During the pandemic he helped develop methods to sequence SARS-CoV2 variants from wastewater and led a consortium of laboratories delivering genomic surveillence to UK health agencies. He is a director of the Centre for Genomic Research, director of the Natural Environment Omics Facility (NEOF), which provides expert advice, capability and training to the environmental sciences community. He established the Microbiome Innovation Centre, which provides a focus for academic and industry-facing microbiome research. He is able to offer PhD projects in the area of infectious disease, microbiomes, genomics and evolution.

Research Overview
Evolution and genomics of infectious disease
Paterson is a population geneticist working primarily on genetic diversity in host-parasite interactions. He was one of the first to apply next-generation sequencing to experimental evolution, and demonstrated that co-evolution between hosts and parasites accelerated rates of molecular evolution. He has worked on field, clinical and experimental systems, including wild rodent immune systems, liver fluke and the development of anitmicrobial resistance in chronic clinical infections.

Environmental genomics
Paterson is a director for the NERC Environmental Omics Facility (NEOF) and a director of the Centre for Genomic Research at Liverpool. This role provides expert advice and delivery of genomics and bioinformatics to the environmental community in the UK, particularly on non-model organisms, environmental samples and for ecological and evolutionary research. It has also allowed novel methods for genomic surveillence of pathogens in wastewater.

Microbiome science
Paterson established the Microbiome Innovation Centre, which draws together researchers across University of Liverpool with an interest in fundamental, animal or clinical aspects of microbiome research. It also engages with industry to match academic expertise and facilities with industrial partners. This is clearly exemplified by work with Unilever plc to understand microbiomes in the context of personal care and the development of novel products to enhance consumer health and well-being.

PhD projects may be available in any of these areas. Please contact Paterson directly.