James McDonald is Professor of microbial ecology at Bangor University.

Current research themes include microbiome analysis of biomass-degrading microorganisms for biofuels and biotechnology, high-throughput methods for the detection of human pathogens in aquatic environments, and microbiome analysis of the complex tree disease, Acute Oak Decline.

His group applies a combination of microbiological culture techniques and contemporary ‘omics’ technologies (e.g. genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics) to address these research themes.

Location: 2nd Floor ECW Building

Tel: +44 (0)1248 383077

Personal webpage: https://www.jamesmcdonaldlab.com/

  • PhD: Microbial Ecology
    University of Liverpool,
  • BSc: Microbiology with Industrial Experience
    University of Manchester,
I welcome enquiries from potential postgraduate researchers (MScRes, MPhil, PhD) on topics related to my group's research interests in microbiomes - viromes - tree health/forest pathology - plant biomass degradation - pathogen ecology - microbial ecology. Specific topics include: -Characterising the oak microbiome in health and disease -Cultivation and molelcular analysis of anaerobic biomass degrading microbiomes -Designing engineered microbiomes for biotechnology Current vacancies: Competitive PhD studentship on Armillaria honey fungus and tree health: http://www.envision-dtp.org/2019/what-lurks-beneath-unravelling-the-chemically-guided-ecological-interactions-of-armillaria-fungi-a-devastating-group-of-subterranean-forest-pathogens/

2024

2022

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2018

2017

  • PublishedA communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity
    Thompson, L. R., Sanders, J. G., McDonald, D., Amir, A., Ladau, J., Locey, K. J., Prill, R. J., Tripathi, A., Gibbons, S. M., Ackermann, G., Navas-Molina, J. A., Janssen, S., Kopylova, E., Vazquez-Baeza, Y., Gonzalez, A., Morton, J. T., Mirarab, S., Xu, Z. Z., Jiang, L., Haroon, M. F., Kanbar, J., Zhu, Q., Song, S. J., Kosciolek, T., Bokulich, N. A., Lefler, J., Brislawn, C. J., Humphrey, G., Owens, S. M., Hampton-Marcell, J., Berg-Lyons, D., McKenzie, V., Fierer, N., Fuhrman, J. A., Clauset, A., Stevens, R. L., Shade, A., Pollard, K. S., Goodwin, K. D., Jansson, J. K., Gilbert, J. A., Knight, R., Agosto Rivera, J. L., Al-Moosawi, L., Alverdy, J., Amato, K. R., Andras, J., Angenent, L. T., Antonopoulos, D. A., Apprill, A., Armitage, D., Ballantine, K., Bárta, J., Baum, J. K., Berry, A., Bhatnagar, A., Bhatnagar, M., Biddle, J. F., Bittner, L., Boldgiv, B., Bottos, E., Boyer, D. M., Braun, J., Brazelton, W., Brearley, F. Q., Campbell, A. H., Caporaso, J. G., Cardona, C., Carroll, J., Cary, S. C., Casper, B. B., Charles, T. C., Chu, H., Claar, D. C., Clark, R. G., Clayton, J. B., Clemente, J. C., Cochran, A., Coleman, M. L., Collins, G., Colwel, R. R., Contreras, M., Crary, B. B., Creer, S., Cristol, D. A., Crump, B. C., Cui, D., Daly, S. E., Davalos, L., Dawson, R. D., Defazio, J., Delsuc, F., Dionisi, H. M., Dominguez-Bello, M. G., Dowell, R., Dubinsky, E. A., Dunn, P. O., Ercolini, D., Espinoza, R. E., Ezenwa, V., Fenner, N., Findlay, H. S., Fleming, I. D., Fogliano, V., Forsman, A., Freeman, C., Friedman, E. S., Galindo, G., Garcia, L., Garcia-Amado, M. A., Garshelis, D., Gasser, R. B., Gerdts, G., Gibson, M. K., Gifford, I., Gill, R. T., Giray, T., Gittel, A., Golyshin, P., Gong, D., Grossart, H.-P., Guyton, K., Haig, S.-J., Hale, V., Hall, R. S., Hallam, S. J., Handley, K. M., Hasan, N. A., Haydon, S. R., Hickman, J. E., Hidalgo, G., Hofmockel, K. S., Hooker, J., Hulth, S., Hultman, J., Hyde, E., Ibáñez-Álamo, J. D., Jastrow, J. D., Jex, A. R., Johnson, L. S., Johnston, E. R., Joseph, S., Jurburg, S. D., Jurelevicius, D., Karlsson, A., Karlsson, R., Kauppinen, S., Kellogg, C. T. E., Kennedy, S. J., Kerkhof, L. J., King, G. M., Kling, G. W., Koehler, A. V., Krezalek, M., Kueneman, J., Lamendella, R., Landon, E. M., Lane-deGraaf, K., LaRoche, J., Larsen, P., Laverock, B., Lax, S., Lentino, M., Levin, I. I., Liancourt, P., Liang, W., Linz, A. M., Lipson, D. A., Liu, Y., Lladser, M. E., Lozada, M., Spirito, C. M., MacCormack, W. P., MacRae-Crerar, A., Magris, M., Martín-Platero, A. M., Martín-Vivaldi, M., Martínez, L. M., Martínez-Bueno, M., Marzinelli, E. M., Mason, O. U., Mayer, G. D., McDevitt-Irwin, J. M., McDonald, J., McGuire, K. L., McMahon, K. D., McMinds, R., Medina, M., Mendelson, J. R., Metcalf, J. L., Meyer, F., Michelangeli, F., Miller, K., Mills, D. A., Minich, J., Mocali, S., Moitinho-Silva, L., Moore, A., Morgan-Kiss, R. M., Munroe, P., Myrold, D., Neufeld, J. D., Ni, Y., Nicol, G. W., Nielsen, S., Nissimov, J. I., Niu, K., Nolan, M. J., Noyce, K., O’Brien, S. L., Okamoto, N., Orlando, L., Ortiz Castellano, Y., Osuolale, O., Oswald, W., Parnell, J., Peralta-Sánchez, J. M., Petraitis, P., Pfister, C., Pilon-Smits, E., Piombino, P., Pointing, S. B., Pollock, F. J., Potter, C., Prithiviraj, B., Quince, C., Rani, A., Ranjan, R., Rao, S., Rees, A. P., Richardson, M., Riebesell, U., Robinson, C., Rockne, K. J., Rodriguezl, S. M., Rohwer, F., Roundstone, W., Safran, R. J., Sangwan, N., Sanz, V., Schrenk, M., Schrenzel, M. D., Scott, N. M., Seger, R. L., Seguin-Orlando, A., Seldin, L., Seyler, L. M., Shakhsheer, B., Sheets, G. M., Shen, C., Shi, Y., Shin, H., Shogan, B. D., Shutler, D., Siegel, J., Simmons, S., Sjöling, S., Smith, D. P., Soler, J. J., Sperling, M., Steinberg, P. D., Stephens, B., Stevens, M. A., Taghavi, S., Tai, V., Tait, K., Tan, C. L., Tas, N., Taylor, D. L., Thomas, T., Timling, I., Turner, B. L., Urich, T., Ursell, L. K., van der Lelie, D., Van Treuren, W., van Zwieten, L., Vargas-Robles, D., Vega Thurber, R., Vitaglione, P., Walker, D. A., Walters, W. A., Wang, S., Wang, T., Weave, T., Webster, N. S., Wehrle, B., Weisenhorn, P., Weiss, S., Werner, J. J., West, K., Whitehead, A., Whitehead, S. R., Whittingham, L. A., Willerslev, E., Williams, A. E., Wood, S. A., Woodhams, D. C., Yang, Y., Zaneveld, J., Zarraonaindia, I., Zhang, Q. & Zhao, H., 23 Nov 2017, In: Nature. 551, 7681, p. 457-+
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedCritical Review on the Public Health Impact of Norovirus Contamination in Shellfish and the Environment: A UK Perspective
    Hassard, F., Sharp, J., Taft, H., Le Vay, L., Harris, J., McDonald, J., Tuson, K., Wilson, J., Jones, D. & Malham, S., Jun 2017, In: Food and Environmental Virology. 9, 2, p. 123-141
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedEvaluation of Molecular Methods for the Detection and Quantification of Pathogen-Derived Nucleic Acids in Sediment
    Farkas, K., Hassard, F., McDonald, J., Malham, S. & Jones, D., 24 Jan 2017, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 6, p. 1-12 53.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedEvaluation of Two Triplex One-Step qRT-PCR Assays for the Quantification of Human Enteric Viruses in Environmental Samples
    Farkas, K., Peters, D. E., McDonald, J., de Rougemont, A., Malham, S. & Jones, D., Sept 2017, In: Food and Environmental Virology. 9, 3, p. 342-349
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedFifty important research questions in microbial ecology
    Antwis, R. E., Griffiths, S. M., Harrison, X. A., Aranega-Bou, P., Arce, A., Bettridge, A. S., Brailsford, F., de Menezes, A., Devaynes, A., Forbes, K. M., Fry, E. L., Goodhead, I., Haskell, E., Heys, C., James, C., Johnston, S. R., Lewis, G. R., Lewis, Z., Macey, M. C., McCarthy, A., McDonald, J., Mejia-Florez, N. L., O'Brien, D., Orland, C., Pautasso, M., Reid, W. D. K., Robinson, H. A., Wilson, K. & Sutherland, W. J., May 2017, In: Fems Microbiology Ecology. 93, 5, fix044.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedIdentification of Armillaria species on declined oak in Britain: implications for oak health
    Denman, S., Barrett, G., Kirk, S. A., McDonald, J. & Coetzee, M. P. A., 7 Jan 2017, In: Forestry. 90, 1, p. 148-161
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedLignocellulose-Degrading Microbial Communities in Landfill Sites Represent a Repository of Unexplored Biomass- Degrading Diversity Emma
    Ransom-Jones, E., McCarthy, A., Haldenby, S., Doonan, J. & McDonald, J., Aug 2017, In: mSphere. 2, 4, e00300.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedMultilocus sequence typing provides insights into the population structure and evolutionary potential of Brenneria goodwinii, associated with acute oak decline
    Kaczmarek, M., Mullett, M. S., McDonald, J. & Denman, S., 1 Jun 2017, In: PLoS ONE. 12, 6, e0178390.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedPhysicochemical Factors Influence the Abundance and Culturability of Human Enteric Pathogens and Fecal Indicator Organisms in Estuarine Water and Sediment
    Hassard, F., Andrews, A., Jones, D. L., Parsons, L., Jones, V., Cox, B. A., Daldorph, P., Brett, H., McDonald, J. & Malham, S., Oct 2017, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 8, 1996.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedSubtle shifts in microbial communities occur alongside the release of carbon induced by drought and rewetting in contrasting peatland ecosystems
    Potter, C., Freeman, C., Golyshin, P., Ackerman, G., Fenner, N., McDonald, J., Ehbair, A., Jones, T., Murphy, L. & Creer, S., Sept 2017, In: Scientific Reports. 7, 11314.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedTaxonomy and identification of bacteria associated with acute oak decline
    Brady, C., Arnold, D., McDonald, J. & Denman, S., Jul 2017, In: World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 33, 7, p. 143
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

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2022

  • BU-IIA Funded Project: Exploring technology transfer options for microbial bioaugmentation of anaerobic waste biomass conversion to biogas

    The overarching aim of this application is to build on our current work on the EU SYNBIOGAS project which is developing engineered microbial communities to enhance waste biomass conversion to biomass. This proposal, which will fund additional plant-scale bioaugmentation of anaerobic digestion processes and techno-economic assessment of the bioprocess, enables us to increase our research activity at TRL6 and build a roadmap for technology adoption by our industrial partners. The project will facilitate applications for follow-on-funding, generate REF-relevant impact and provide possibilities for commercialisation. The project aligns directly with the University’s Strategy 2030 and the RWIF strategic priorities. 

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £42,055

    1 Apr 2022 – 31 Mar 2023

    Activity: Other (Contributor)