Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Professor in Food Safety
My work is driven by the major challenges facing our food production and public health. Solutions are in exploring the utility and function of microbes, how food is produced, and technological innovations.
Research interests
I am a molecular bacteriologist interested in how some microbes, e.g. foodborne pathogens or hazards such as AMR, are transmitted via environmental sources. I work with stakeholders in public health and the agri-food industry.
My roles are:
- Lead the Safe & Improved Foods challenge-driven research centre
- Lead research into the interactions between human pathogenic bacteria and food products, pre- and post-harvest, to reduce foodborne illness
- Manage Scottish Government strategic research between Scottish research providers
- Supervision of staff, students and visitors; teaching and external examinations
- Committee member for external organisations
Supervision
PhD student (2021-2025) 'Exploring host-microbiota interactions for improved crop health and food safety', joint with University of Dundee
PhD student (2018-2022) 'Impact of ozone on viability of fooborne and food spoilage pathogens on fresh produce', joint with University of Oxford
PhD student (2017-2021) 'Modelling attachement of bacteria to developing roots', joint with University of Warwick and James Hutton Institute
PhD student (2017-2021) 'Benign enhancement of natural defences: BEYOND', joint with University of Sheffield and James Hutton Institute
Projects
Current:
- 2020-2025: BBSRC BBR “The UK Crop Microbiome Cryobank”. Ryan, Holden (Co-I), Mauchline, Malone (£1.9M, 5 years)
- 2021-2025: BBSRC "Sharing expertise to quantify and mitigate GHG in the agriculture and land use sector in Argentina and the UK" Holden, Rees, Shutter (£30K, 3 years)
- 2021-2022: SFN+ "Genome-guided detection of non-O157 STEC". Holden, Winn, Dallman (£10K, 9 months)
- 2021-2022: SFN+ "Circular urban vertical farming - Data, models and optimisation of waste flows". Ball, Holden, Jensen, Kanu, Xau (£10K, 9 months)
Previous (selected):
- 2021: SEFARI Gateway "Scoping review for a Scottish AMR activity dashboard". Holden (£17K, 5 months)
- 2018-2021: Innovate-UK “KTP: microbe management”. Holden, IGS Ltd. (£227K, 3 years)
- 2021: Scottish Government "Scottish One Health AMR Register". Holden (£30K, 4 months)
- 2016-2021: ERC “SENSOILS”. Dupuy, Holden (Co-I), et al. (€1.66M, 5 years)
- 2019: NBIC “Listeria biofilms”. Holden, Anacail Ltd (£80K, 1 year)
- 2019-2020: IBiolC “Antimicrobial coatings and matrices”. Love, Holden, et al (£101K, 1 year)
- 2017-2018: Innovate-UK “In-pack ozone”. Holden, Anacail Ltd. (£38K, 1 year)
- 2016-2018: RESAS Innovation fund “Biocontrol”. Holden, partners (FSS, SERL, Kettle) (£132K)
- 2014-2016: FSA “Internalisation”. Holden (£350K)
- 2013-2016: HDC “Plant defence elicitors”. Holden, et al (£300K)
- 2012-2015: The Leverhulme Trust “Plant cell walls”. Holden (£230K)
- 2011-2014: BBSRC “Surface factors colonise plants” Holden (£556K)
- 2011-2011 & 2010-2012: HDC, elicitor grants Holden (£150K)
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Cold shock response of Salmonella typhimurium, University of Edinburgh
1995 → 1999
External positions
The James Hutton Institute
2011 → 2020
Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie
2007 → 2011
Open University Milton Keynes
2002 → 2007
Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biomedical Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School, The University of Edinburgh
2000 → 2007
Keywords
- QR180 Immunology
- microbiology
- microbiome
- food safety
- food quality
- Crop/livestock systems
- STEC
- Salmonella
- host interactions
- sequencing
- vertical farm
- sustainability
Fingerprint
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Network
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Challenge Based Molecular Tracking (MolTrack) Molecules to Landscapes
Holden, N., Watson, C. & Russell, W.
1/07/22 → 30/07/23
Project: Research
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Sharing expertise to quantify and mitigate GHG in the agriculture and land use sector in Argentine and the UK
30/06/22 → 29/06/25
Project: Research
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RESAS 22-27: SRUC-b6-1 Understanding The Diversity Of Stec And Its Relationship With Human Pathogenic Potential
Tongue, S., Webster, C., Baughan, J., Henry, M., Holden, N., Denniston, J. & Nale, J.
Scottish Government: Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services
1/04/22 → 31/03/27
Project: Research
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RESAS 22-27: SRUC-b6-2 A Systems Understanding Of The Flow Of Amr From Livestock Production To The Environment And Humans: Informing Risk Analyses
Hutchings, M., Baker, E., Galgano, S., Pollock, J., Holden, N., Smith, L. & Lowe, A.
Scottish Government: Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services
1/04/22 → 31/03/27
Project: Research
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RESAS 22-27: Jhi-d3-1 Healthy Soils For A Green Recovery
Watson, C., Parker, J., Bagnall, A., Buckingham, S., Hargreaves, P., Topp, K., Walker, R., Fraser, F., Holden, N. & Boyko, R.
Scottish Government: Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services
1/04/22 → 31/03/27
Project: Research
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Harnessing diverse prophages of STEC O157:H7 phage-type 8 for rapid identification of fresh produce-associated STEC strains
Nale, JYN., Tongue, SC. & Holden, NH., 15 Jun 2023.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
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Harnessing agricultural microbiomes for human pathogen control
Brennan, F. P., Alsanius, B. W., Allende, A., Burgess, C. M., Moreira, H., Johannessen, G. S., Castro, P. M. L., Uyttendaele, M., Truchado, P. & Holden, N. J., 19 May 2022, (First published) In: ISME Communications. 2, 1, 44.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short communication › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Downloads (Pure) -
Microbial cancer therapeutics: A promising approach
Diwan, D., Cheng, L., Usmani, Z., Sharma, M., Holden, N., Willoughby, N., Sangwan, N., Baadhe, R. R., Liu, C. & Gupta, V. K., Nov 2022, In: Seminars in Cancer Biology. 86, Pt 3, p. 931-950 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)52 Downloads (Pure) -
Novel form of collective movement by soil bacteria
Engelhardt, I. C., Patko, D., Liu, Y., Mimault, M., de las Heras Martinez, G., George, T. S., MacDonald, M., Ptashnyk, M., Sukhodub, T., Stanley-Wall, N. R., Holden, N., Daniell, T. J. & Dupuy, L. X., Oct 2022, In: ISME Journal. 16, p. 2337-2347 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)6 Downloads (Pure) -
Phylogeny and potential virulence of cryptic clade Escherichia coli species complex isolates derived from an arable field trial
MacKenzie, K., Marshall, J., Wright, F., Gunn, G. & Holden, N., Jan 2022, In: Current Research in Microbial Sciences. 3, 100093.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile34 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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A dataset of genomes of non-O157 Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) associated with UK clinical disease, wild deer and food items
Holden, N. (Owner), Wynn, M. (Contributor) & Dallman, T. (Contributor), Figshare, 9 Mar 2023
DOI: 10.58073/SRUC.22240660.v1
Dataset
Activities
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Food Standards Agency (External organisation)
Nicola Holden (Member)
1 Jan 2023 → 1 Jan 2026Activity: Membership types › Membership of committee
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Plant & soil microbiomes: innovation and opportunities
Nicola Holden (Speaker)
23 Mar 2023 → 24 Mar 2023Activity: Talk, evidence or presentation types › Invited talk
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AMR National Action Plan (2024-2029): Animal Health, Plant Health, Food and the Environment Outcomes Workshop
Nicola Holden (Speaker)
28 Mar 2023Activity: Talk, evidence or presentation types › Evidence to committees
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Applied Microbiology International society (External organisation)
Nicola Holden (Member)
1 Aug 2022 → 1 Aug 2025Activity: Membership types › Membership of committee
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Microbiology (Journal)
Nicola Holden (Editor)
2021 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial work
Press/Media
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Farmers Weekly Question Time
2/03/23 → 8/03/23
1 item of Media coverage, 1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Equipment
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Microbiology laboratory (Containment Level 2)
Nicola Holden (Manager)
New North Agri Cost CentreFacility/equipment: Facility