As one of the interdisciplinary PhD students within the Florey cohort I get to split my time between the Physics and MBB departments. Coming from a physics background it can be easy to overlook the work that goes on in the other departments and so for me one of the best parts about my PhD is being able to hear about research and learn techniques from both disciplines.
In my project I am aiming to develop antibacterial surfaces that are inspired by cicadas, who get their bacteria-killing ability from nano-scale pillars on the surface of their wings. The first part of my project is to study these wings with imaging techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy, to learn more about their nanoscopic features. I will then use this to design and make my own antibacterial surfaces and study how cells interact with them, in order to find out more about how these structures kill bacteria.
This collaboration between bacteriology and materials physics will hopefully provide a “drug-free” method of reducing the accumulation of bacteria on surfaces. This could eventually prove to be useful in a medical environment, especially in the fight against the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance.
