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Glenn Gibson

  • Professor of Food Microbiology
  • Head of Food Microbial Sciences

Adjunct appointments:

  • Visiting Professor, Imperial College, London (Institute for Global Health Innovation)
  • Visiting Professor in Microbiology and Nutrition, Northumbria University
  • Honorary positions in China and New Zealand

Office

2-45

Building location

Harry Nursten

Areas of interest

Gut microbiology, probiotics, prebiotics

Postgraduate supervision

Career: 85 PhD students as first or second supervisor, 44 PDRAs

Teaching

Various microbiology lectures in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences.

Research centres and groups

  • Member of ICMR Committee
  • Member of UoR Sport and Active Wellbeing Committee
  • Co-founder and former President of International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)
  • Co-founder of APPG on Human Microbiome

Research projects

Career: 145 projects as PI or CoI

Background

My current research is dominated by gut microbiome interactions and dietary intervention. Both probiotics (live microbial feed additions) and prebiotics (selectively fermented carbohydrates) are studied. There is a mixture of research funding that explores basic principles and their translational effects. I currently research acute and chronic gut disease, obesity, probiotics and prebiotics, gastroenteritis in specialist populations (professional athletes, military) and colonic homeostasis. Gut models are used to test initial principles, before moving to in vivo trials.

July 2024 - 8 books, 510 research papers, >400 published abstracts,  >1000 conference presentations (ca 250 plenary)

Academic qualifications

  • BSc (Hons), University of Dundee
  • PhD, University of Dundee.

Awards and honours

Professional bodies/affiliations

  • APPG Human Microbiome
  • Formerly Society for General Microbiology, Society for Applied Microbiology (held committee/council positions in both), BNF

Further information

Co-instigator of the prebiotic concept for gut microbiota modulation. The article which originally coined this term was confirmed as the most highly cited paper ever published on any area of functional foods. There are now over 4000 research papers on this subject. Given Highly Cited Researcher status from Thomson Reuters since 2001.

Past President and Founder member of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP). In 2019, I helped set up an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the gut microbiome. This influential body includes a group of MPs and peers that have a growing interest in the field.

Publications

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