Personal Statement
Howbeer received first class honours in Microbiology at the Manchester Metropolitan University in 2010. In 2011, he successfully completed an MPhil in geomicrobiology at the University of Manchester, working on the optimisation and scale-up of a batch culture magnetite nanoparticle production bioprocess. He continued with a PhD program (Biotechnology/Metabolomics), at the University of Manchester, working on metabolomics investigations of different microbial bioprocesses using various analytical techniques and multivariate statistical analysis approaches. From 2015-2019 he was a research associate in Roy Goodacre’s labs, working on several projects, including metabolomics and fluxomics investigation of recombinant protein production in S. lividans, as well as other microbial, plants and mammalian systems. In Dec 2019, he started his own group at University of Liverpool as a tenure track fellow, and received confirmation in post as a lecturer in 2023. His group are working on the applications of molecular imaging and metabolomics techniques for better understanding of antimicrobial resistance at single-cell and community (biofilm) levels.

Research Overview
The focus of my research is on the application of state-of-the-art metabolomics, and spectroscopy imaging techniques for better understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at single-cell and community levels. Such approaches may provide a deeper insight into drug penetration, distribution, and mode of action in microbial community structures (biofilms), while combined with isotopic labeling strategies it may also reveal the metabolic response of the cells, which may provide important clues to prevent a mismatch between therapeutic strategies, facilitate desirable prognosis and reduce the risk and development of antimicrobial resistance.