Date/Time
Date(s) - Wed 18 March
13:00
Bacterial pathogens infecting humans or plants have major impacts on health and agriculture, especially as the efficacy of traditional control methods such as antibiotics and agrichemicals is increasingly undermined by resistance. Alternative strategies may emerge from studying how bacteria interact with their natural enemies, such as competing microbes and phages (viruses that infect bacteria). In this talk, Nils will focus on the plant pathogen Pectobacterium and the molecular warfare it engages in. His research has characterised defence systems that protect Pectobacterium from phage infection, as well as phage mechanisms that neutralise these defences. In addition, a survey of strains from Aotearoa New Zealand revealed widespread deployment of tailocins – macromolecular weapons to kill closely related bacteria. Together, these findings highlight the diverse arsenals shaping interactions among bacteria and between bacteria and phages, and point towards new ways to target problematic pathogens locally and globally.
About the Presenter
Dr Nils Birkholz is a molecular microbiologist and Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago. His research focuses on the interactions between bacteria and bacteriophages, with particular emphasis on bacterial defence systems and the strategies phages use to overcome them. This work advances fundamental understanding of microbial evolution and has implications for biotechnology, antimicrobial development, and sustainable biocontrol.
Nils completed his PhD at the University of Otago, where his doctoral research examined phage defence and counter-defence mechanisms. He has authored and co-authored several high-impact publications, including work published in Nature, contributing new insights into the regulation of phage anti-CRISPR systems and bacterial immunity.
His postdoctoral research was supported through Bioprotection Aotearoa, a Centre of Research Excellence that brings together researchers working to protect Aotearoa New Zealand’s productive and natural ecosystems from biological threats. Through this network, Nils’ work aligns fundamental microbiology with long-term bioprotection goals, strengthening the knowledge base required for future biosecurity and biocontrol solutions.