Simon Foster, West Riding Professor of Microbiology at the University of Sheffield, is a world class microbiologist who has made important contributions on many aspects of Staphylococcus aureus known commonly as its antibiotic resistant derivative MRSA. From basic understanding of structure, growth, and division, through to pathogenesis and the development of novel therapy and prophylaxis. He has been at the forefront of the application of super resolution microscopy approaches to reveal totally new insights into bacterial architecture, dynamics, antibiotic action, and the basis for antimicrobial resistance.
He is the co-founder and current Director of the Florey Institute for Host Pathogen Interaction at the University of Sheffield which coordinates activities in infectious disease to bridge fundamental science to clinical application and has led to many new posts with multimillion-pound investment.