Andrew Singer is a molecular microbial ecologist with expertise in pollution chemistry and water quality assessment and mitigation. He leads a research group at the Natural Environment Research Centre (NERC) for Ecology & Hydrology in the UK. His research is focused on the catchment-scale analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and understanding the drivers of AMR in the environment. He works with UK research councils, UK public health and environmental regulators to model the impact of antibiotic stewardship on AMR selection in the environment, to develop national monitoring programmes and help prioritise the research gaps for future funding calls in the UK.
He has served on the UK Scientific Pandemic Influenza Advisory Committee led by the Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, as a result of his research into antimicrobial use during an influenza pandemic. He has recently contributed to the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2017-18, highlighting the importance of addressing antibiotic pollution in the environment as part of a ‘One Health’ strategy of the UK National AMR Action Plan. He serves on UK and international research council panels alongside the FAO-UN Expert on foodborne AMR. He is an editor for PLoS One and a guest editor for Environment International.
Andrew received his PhD in Soil and Water Science from the University of California Riverside in 2000.