Emily Clark
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Emily is a postdoctoral researcher in molecular parasitiology. She is employed on the BBSRC/DfiD CIDLID project 'Anticoccidial vaccine development: the importance of genetic diversity and delivery strategy'.
Biography
Emily graduated with a degree in Animal Biology in 2005, followed by an MRes in Environmental Biology in 2006, both at the University of St Andrews. She then completed a PhD in 2010 at the University of Dundee and Scottish Crop Research Institute during which she used molecular methods to characterize the bacteria associated with the cabbage aphid ‘Brevicoryne brassicae’. After her PhD she secured funding to work on a short project, on the behaviour of bumblebee's when visiting raspberry crops, over the summer. She was then offered the post of postdoctoral research scientist in molecular parasitology at the Royal Veterinary College on the BBSRC/DfiD CIDLID project: Anticoccidial vaccine development: the importance of genetic diversity and delivery strategy, working with Damer Blake and Fiona Tomley.
Research
Emily is currently employed as a post doctoral researcher on the project BBSRC/DfiD Combating Infectious Diseases of Livestock for International Development (CIDLID): Anticoccidial vaccine development: the importance of genetic diversity and delivery strategy 2010 - 2013. As a postdoctoral scientist at the Royal Veterinary College her research focuses on the protozoan, apicomplexan parasite Eimeria in poultry. The main aim of the project, which has partners based in the UK and India, is to determine Eimeria species field population structure and investigate the relevance of naturally occurring genetic diversity for the development of novel anticoccidial control strategies. To date she has developed MLST panels for a number of target genes, including several immunoprotective antigens, for several parasite strains. Information on genome wide genetic diversity will add value to our results, providing a valuable resource to answer important questions relating to population structure and diversity in the field.
She also continues her research interests in entomology particularly bumblebee behaviour and ecology and insect-symbiont interactions.
Teaching
Emily gave a lecture in December 2011 to the Control of Infectious Diseases in Animals Masters course on 'Bee Diseases and Pathogens'. She also helps supervise several student research projects on various RVC courses.
Selected Publications
Blake DP, Alias H, Billington KJ, Clark EL, Mat-Isa M-N, Mohamad A-F-H, Mohd-Amin M-R, Tay Y-L, Smith AL, Tomley FM, Wan K-L (2012) EmaxDB: Availability of a first draft genome sequence for the apicomplexan Eimeria maxima. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology (in press).
Clark E.L, Karley A.J and Hubbard S.F (2010) INVITED REVIEW: Insect endosymbionts: manipulators of insect herbivore trophic interactions? Protoplasma, 244, 25-51, DOI: 10.1007/s00709-010-0156-2.