James McDonald
@jamesemcdonald.bsky.social
Prof. of microbial ecology at the University of Birmingham.
Decoding the tree microbiome 🌳🌲. He/him
Decoding the tree microbiome 🌳🌲. He/him
Pinned
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
The tree microbiome is essential for host health and pathogen suppression. Synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) are emerging as important tools to understand microbiome dynamics and engineer micr...
www.biorxiv.org
🧵 1/ New preprint alert! From the FUTURE OAK project, led by the super talented @alejandra1909.bsky.social
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
Here's what we found... 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
Here's what we found... 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by James McDonald
The pre print of my PhD research is out! 📣 Check it out for some cool results on high-throuhput microbial isolation, #SynComs and #Tree #Microbiome 🌳🧫
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#PhDone 💯
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#PhDone 💯
November 19, 2025 at 8:39 PM
The pre print of my PhD research is out! 📣 Check it out for some cool results on high-throuhput microbial isolation, #SynComs and #Tree #Microbiome 🌳🧫
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#PhDone 💯
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#PhDone 💯
🧵 1/ New preprint alert! From the FUTURE OAK project, led by the super talented @alejandra1909.bsky.social
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
Here's what we found... 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
Here's what we found... 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
The tree microbiome is essential for host health and pathogen suppression. Synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) are emerging as important tools to understand microbiome dynamics and engineer micr...
www.biorxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
🧵 1/ New preprint alert! From the FUTURE OAK project, led by the super talented @alejandra1909.bsky.social
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
Here's what we found... 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression
Here's what we found... 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Had a great week at #PSM2025 - excellent science, great organisation, and super friendly people. Really enjoyed presenting our work on the oak microbiome and leaving here with lots of ideas for future work and collaborations. Thanks @vcarryon.bsky.social & team for organising @microsos.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Had a great week at #PSM2025 - excellent science, great organisation, and super friendly people. Really enjoyed presenting our work on the oak microbiome and leaving here with lots of ideas for future work and collaborations. Thanks @vcarryon.bsky.social & team for organising @microsos.bsky.social
A pause on the live posts from @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social as he is on stage giving the next presentation at #PSM2025 on single species and community living of Bacillus on plants @microsos.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
A pause on the live posts from @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social as he is on stage giving the next presentation at #PSM2025 on single species and community living of Bacillus on plants @microsos.bsky.social
Reposted by James McDonald
Thank you, Dirk-Jan! We indeed enjoyed it with our Birmingham-Leiden collaboration group!
(Not tapas but restaurant part)
-with @marccamb.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @xinmingxu.bsky.social and María Negre Rodríguez
(Not tapas but restaurant part)
-with @marccamb.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @xinmingxu.bsky.social and María Negre Rodríguez
November 4, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Thank you, Dirk-Jan! We indeed enjoyed it with our Birmingham-Leiden collaboration group!
(Not tapas but restaurant part)
-with @marccamb.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @xinmingxu.bsky.social and María Negre Rodríguez
(Not tapas but restaurant part)
-with @marccamb.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @xinmingxu.bsky.social and María Negre Rodríguez
@vcarryon.bsky.social opening #PSM2025
November 3, 2025 at 5:14 PM
@vcarryon.bsky.social opening #PSM2025
Great to be at #PMS2025 in Malaga. Looking forward to 5 days of science and giving a presentation on our group’s work on Thursday (session 4)
November 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Great to be at #PMS2025 in Malaga. Looking forward to 5 days of science and giving a presentation on our group’s work on Thursday (session 4)
Reposted by James McDonald
New paper: Dried soil bacteria enter dormancy with "frozen" RNA & metabolite profiles—but water vapor alone can wake them up!
#Microbiology #SoilScience #Dormancy #ClimateChange #MicroSky
#Microbiology #SoilScience #Dormancy #ClimateChange #MicroSky
Transcriptional and metabolic stasis define desiccation-induced dormancy in a soil bacterium until water vapor initiates resuscitation. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.16.681527v1
October 17, 2025 at 3:37 AM
New paper: Dried soil bacteria enter dormancy with "frozen" RNA & metabolite profiles—but water vapor alone can wake them up!
#Microbiology #SoilScience #Dormancy #ClimateChange #MicroSky
#Microbiology #SoilScience #Dormancy #ClimateChange #MicroSky
Reposted by James McDonald
Have research, results, or ideas to share with the microbial ecology community? Don’t miss your chance to present it at #MMEG2025 - abstract submissions close 2 November!
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
October 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Have research, results, or ideas to share with the microbial ecology community? Don’t miss your chance to present it at #MMEG2025 - abstract submissions close 2 November!
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
Really Nice work by @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social and colleagues
See connected press release at #LeidenBiology @leidenscience.bsky.social
www.linkedin.com/posts/instit...
www.linkedin.com/posts/instit...
October 9, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Really Nice work by @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social and colleagues
MMEG is coming to @unibirmingham.bsky.social in December - look out for some exciting announcements about the programme in the next few weeks! Abstract submission and registration is open 👇🏻
Save the Date: #MMEG2025 is coming to Birmingham!
Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology
Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology
Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
October 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM
MMEG is coming to @unibirmingham.bsky.social in December - look out for some exciting announcements about the programme in the next few weeks! Abstract submission and registration is open 👇🏻
Reposted by James McDonald
Save the Date: #MMEG2025 is coming to Birmingham!
Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology
Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology
Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
September 1, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Save the Date: #MMEG2025 is coming to Birmingham!
Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology
Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology
Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
Reposted by James McDonald
New preprint from the lab by Adele Pioppi on her #NNF_INTERACT project
Successive cultivation under drought selects for specific microbiome members in the wheat rhizosphere
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Successive cultivation under drought selects for specific microbiome members in the wheat rhizosphere
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 19, 2025 at 8:56 AM
New preprint from the lab by Adele Pioppi on her #NNF_INTERACT project
Successive cultivation under drought selects for specific microbiome members in the wheat rhizosphere
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Successive cultivation under drought selects for specific microbiome members in the wheat rhizosphere
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by James McDonald
🧵 New preprint alert!
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome
Trees are essential for ecosystem function, but due to their long lifespan, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disease. Tree-associated microbiota are critical for tree health and r...
www.biorxiv.org
August 16, 2025 at 6:48 AM
🧵 New preprint alert!
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by James McDonald
We have a position for an Assist Prof in Microbial Genomics in our School of III.
Hod Joan Geoghegan will be happy to field questions if you are interested. No specific area of microbial genomics preferred so please do consider it
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOO184/a...
Hod Joan Geoghegan will be happy to field questions if you are interested. No specific area of microbial genomics preferred so please do consider it
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOO184/a...
Assistant Professor (Research and Education) in Bacterial Genomics at University of Birmingham
Apply now for the Assistant Professor (Research and Education) in Bacterial Genomics role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.
www.jobs.ac.uk
September 3, 2025 at 4:02 PM
We have a position for an Assist Prof in Microbial Genomics in our School of III.
Hod Joan Geoghegan will be happy to field questions if you are interested. No specific area of microbial genomics preferred so please do consider it
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOO184/a...
Hod Joan Geoghegan will be happy to field questions if you are interested. No specific area of microbial genomics preferred so please do consider it
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOO184/a...
Reposted by James McDonald
Our newest title, Microbiology Outlooks is now open to submissions! If you have a review, perspective, or commentary to contribute, submit to this forward-looking journal covering all areas of microbiology research: microb.io/Mout. #NewJournal #Mout
August 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Our newest title, Microbiology Outlooks is now open to submissions! If you have a review, perspective, or commentary to contribute, submit to this forward-looking journal covering all areas of microbiology research: microb.io/Mout. #NewJournal #Mout
Check out our new preprint on @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social
Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.15.670310v1
August 19, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Check out our new preprint on @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social
Reposted by James McDonald
See how phi3T phage shifts Bacillus subtilis cell shape in the absence of SPbeta prophage and alters its fitness - our new publication in @commsbio.nature.com from group of @annadragos.bsky.social together with @bramkamplab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
August 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
See how phi3T phage shifts Bacillus subtilis cell shape in the absence of SPbeta prophage and alters its fitness - our new publication in @commsbio.nature.com from group of @annadragos.bsky.social together with @bramkamplab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by James McDonald
Go and check out the pre-print of the landscape-scale tree microbiome study from the Future Oak project. Huge amounts of efforts and talent went into this work, with a pinch of "this is crazy, but we can do it". Well done @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @cenococcum.bsky.social et al. Thread below 👇
🧵 New preprint alert!
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome
Trees are essential for ecosystem function, but due to their long lifespan, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disease. Tree-associated microbiota are critical for tree health and r...
www.biorxiv.org
August 16, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Go and check out the pre-print of the landscape-scale tree microbiome study from the Future Oak project. Huge amounts of efforts and talent went into this work, with a pinch of "this is crazy, but we can do it". Well done @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @cenococcum.bsky.social et al. Thread below 👇
🧵 New preprint alert!
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome
Trees are essential for ecosystem function, but due to their long lifespan, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disease. Tree-associated microbiota are critical for tree health and r...
www.biorxiv.org
August 16, 2025 at 6:48 AM
🧵 New preprint alert!
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social
Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Had a great day out with the team at Black County Museum yesterday. Lucky to work with such a great group of scientists and people 🌞🍦 @g-thomas.bsky.social @alejandra1909.bsky.social @sophie-e-powell.bsky.social @alexanderwoodley.bsky.social @marccamb.bsky.social @bpettifor.bsky.social
August 13, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Had a great day out with the team at Black County Museum yesterday. Lucky to work with such a great group of scientists and people 🌞🍦 @g-thomas.bsky.social @alejandra1909.bsky.social @sophie-e-powell.bsky.social @alexanderwoodley.bsky.social @marccamb.bsky.social @bpettifor.bsky.social
Really exciting and important tree microbiome paper published in @nature.com ‘A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees’ 👏 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees - Nature
Microbiome analyses of living trees show that a single tree can host approximately one trillion bacteria, with microbial communities distinctly partitioned between heartwood and sapwood and with minim...
www.nature.com
August 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Really exciting and important tree microbiome paper published in @nature.com ‘A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees’ 👏 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Really pleased to be involved in this exciting project led by @hendrikschaefer.bsky.social !
Which #methanotrophs drive methane degradation in the #phyllosphere of #trees? This project involves Sinchan Banerjee at Warwick and Professors Yin Chen, James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social and Vincent Gauci @gaucigauci.bsky.social at University of Birmingham
www.homeworld.bio/grants-green...
www.homeworld.bio/grants-green...
Garden Grants GHGR — Homeworld Collective
Garden Grants: Funding to grow climate biotech
www.homeworld.bio
July 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Really pleased to be involved in this exciting project led by @hendrikschaefer.bsky.social !
Wonderful day @bangoruniversity.bsky.social Huge congratulations to Dr. @alejandra1909.bsky.social for passing her viva with minor corrections. Thanks to Carrie Brady and @mojganrabiey.bsky.social for examining and George Turner for chairing. Look out for some cool papers in the near future!
July 23, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Wonderful day @bangoruniversity.bsky.social Huge congratulations to Dr. @alejandra1909.bsky.social for passing her viva with minor corrections. Thanks to Carrie Brady and @mojganrabiey.bsky.social for examining and George Turner for chairing. Look out for some cool papers in the near future!
Reposted by James McDonald
See our review on SynComs for tree microbiome engineering by @marccamb.bsky.social @xinmingxu.bsky.social @sofiaifgomes.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social
seed grant between @imibirmingham.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
seed grant between @imibirmingham.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
July 23, 2025 at 7:08 AM
See our review on SynComs for tree microbiome engineering by @marccamb.bsky.social @xinmingxu.bsky.social @sofiaifgomes.bsky.social @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social
seed grant between @imibirmingham.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
seed grant between @imibirmingham.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...