Dr Ben Temperton

After a successful career as a software engineer developing the infrastructure for the NHS Spine, I retrained as a microbiologist and run a research group at the University of Exeter with a focus on interactions between bacteriophages and their hosts in both environmental and clinical settings. We developed novel methods for long-read sequencing of viromes from both marine and soil microbial communities, identifying large numbers of cryptic viral species, as well as methods for high throughput isolation of ecologically and clinically important viruses. During the COVID19 outbreak, I led the SouthWest hub of the UK’s genomic surveillance network (COG-UK), coordinating with clinicians and a national scientific research team to deliver real-time data that shaped government policy. I established the Citizen Phage Library in the UK as a national capability for providing fully characterized phages for compassionate use. Phages are shared internationally to catalyse global efforts for effective phage therapeutics. I lead a consortium developing the first multi-site AGILE clinical trial of phage therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in the UK. I work closely with four industrial partners to help bring their phage therapeutics to market.

Qualifications:

PhD. Microbiology, Queens University Belfast, 2009-2011
MSc Information Technology (Software Engineering), University of Nottingham, 1998-1999
BSc Chemistry (2:i), University Of Birmingham, 1995-1998