Dr Ian Lidbury

School of Biosciences

Royal Society University Research Fellow

MMBD Comms Lead

Dr Ian Lidbury 2
Profile picture of Dr Ian Lidbury 2
i.lidbury@sheffield.ac.uk
Alfred Denny Building

Full contact details

Dr Ian Lidbury
School of Biosciences
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile
  • BBSRC Discovery Fellow, Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2020-present)
  • Researcher-CoI, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK (2019-2020)
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Environmental Microbiology , Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK (2015-2019)
Qualifications
  • PhD in Marine Microbiology, Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK (2011-2015)
  • MRes in Marine Microbiology, The Marine Biological Association of the UK & Plymouth University (2010-2011)
Research interests

Producing sufficient quantities of high-quality, nutritious food to meet the demands of a growing population will be a major challenge facing humanity over the next few decades. In addition, global emerging issues such as climate change and the phosphorus (P) crisis are compounding the problem of food security. In fact, finding sustainable alternatives to non-renewable chemical P fertilisers is now one of the great challenges facing global agriculture.

Root-associated bacteria form part of the plant-microbiome and are a critical component in maintaining crop health, either through disease suppression or enhanced nutrient acquisition. As a result, plants actively select for beneficial bacteria, as well as fungi, through the exudation of photosynthetically-fixed carbon (C) from their roots. Achieving sustainable agricultural production requires, in part, a fundamental understanding of both crop-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions and their effects on plant microbiome functioning.

In my lab we are investigating how soil and, in some cases, marine bacteria cycle both P and C. This involves using model microorganisms in the lab for genetic studies as well as assessing how and when these processes occur in the environment. We are also beginning to investigate how soil microbes degrade molecules (polysaccharides) associated with soil formation and how this process maybe affected by climate change.

Current projects/research areas:
1) Organic P cycling in plant-associated Flavobacteria.

2) Soil polysaccharide cycling using Bacteroidetes as the model.

3)Visualisation of in situ bacterial gene expression at the root:soil interface.

4) Application of meta 'omics technologies to investigate soil/rhizosphere diversity and function.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Mausz MA, Murphy ARJ, del Mar Aguilo-Ferretjans M, Hitchcock A, Moran MA, Scanlan DJ, Chen Y & Lidbury IDEA (2025) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(38).
  • Smith RE, Michno BJ, Christena RL, O’Dea F, Davis JL, Lidbury IDEA, Alamán-Zárate MG, Stefanidi D, Maes E, Fisher H , Prajsnar TK et al (2025) . PLoS Pathogens, 21(6).
  • Martin H, Rogers LA, Moushtaq L, Brindley AA, Forbes P, Quintion AR, Murphy ARJ, Hipperson H, Daniell TJ, Ndeh D , Amsbury S et al (2025) . The ISME Journal, 19(1).
  • Ughamba KT, Ndukwe JK, Lidbury IDEA, Nnaji ND, Eze CN, Aduba CC, Groenhof S, Chukwu KO, Anyanwu CU, Nwaiwu O & Anumudu CK (2025) . Soil Systems, 9(1).
  • Cao Y, Shen Z, Zhang N, Deng X, Thomashow LS, Lidbury I, Liu H, Li R, Shen Q & Kowalchuk GA (2024) . Microbiome, 12(1).
  • Torcello-Requena A, Murphy ARJ, Lidbury IDEA, Pitt FD, Stark R, Millard AD, Puxty RJ, Chen Y & Scanlan DJ (2024) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(20).
  • Liu S, Zhang X, Wang H, Dungait JAJ, Pan J, Lidbury IDEA, Ma Z, Chen F & Tang Y (2024) . Forest Ecology and Management, 552, 121582-121582.
  • Alamán-Zárate MG, Rady BJ, Evans CA, Pian B, Greetham D, Marecos-Ortiz S, Dickman MJ, Lidbury IDEA, Lovering AL, Barstow BM & Mesnage S (2024) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300(1).
  • Zhu X-Y, Li Y, Xue C-X, Lidbury IDEA, Todd JD, Lea-Smith DJ, Tian J, Zhang X-H & Liu J (2023) . Microbiome, 11(1).
  • Westermann LM, Lidbury IDEA, Li C-Y, Wang N, Murphy ARJ, Aguilo Ferretjans MDM, Quareshy M, Shanmugan M, Torcello-Requena A, Silvano E , Zhang Y-Z et al (2023) . Science Advances, 9(17).
  • Li C-Y, Mausz MA, Murphy A, Zhang N, Chen X-L, Wang S-Y, Gao C, Aguilo-Ferretjans MM, Silvano E, Lidbury IDEA , Fu H-H et al (2023) . The ISME Journal, 17(4), 579-587.
  • Muscatt G, Hilton S, Raguideau S, Teakle G, Lidbury IDEA, Wellington EMH, Quince C, Millard A, Bending GD & Jameson E (2022) . Microbiome, 10(1).
  • Lidbury IDEA, Raguideau S, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Bottrill A, Liu S, Stark R, Fraser T, Goodall A, Jones A , Bending GD et al (2022) . mSystems, 7(4).
  • Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Chen Y, Bending GD, Hammond JP, Wellington EMH & Lidbury IDEA (2022) . Environmental Microbiology, 24(4), 1902-1917.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Scanlan DJ, Murphy ARJ, Christie-Oleza JA, Aguilo-Ferretjans MM, Hitchcock A & Daniell TJ (2022) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(5).
  • Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Chen Y, Adams NBP, Cadman WA, Bottrill A, Bending G, Hammond JP, Hitchcock A, Wellington EMH & Lidbury IDEA (2021) . Nature Communications, 12.
  • Rangama S, Lidbury IDEA, Holden JM, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Hawkey PM & Wellington EMH (2021) . Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 65(10).
  • Jones RA, Shropshire H, Zhao C, Murphy A, Lidbury I, Wei T, Scanlan DJ & Chen Y (2021) . ISME Journal, 15(11), 3303-3314.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Bottrill A, Jones AME, Bending GD, Hammond JP, Chen Y, Wellington EMH & Scanlan DJ (2021) . The ISME Journal, 15(4), 1040-1055.
  • Qin Q-L, Wang Z-B, Su H-N, Chen X-L, Miao J, Wang X-J, Li C-Y, Zhang X-Y, Li P-Y, Wang M , Fang J et al (2021) . Science Advances, 7(13).
  • Lidbury IDEA, Fraser T, Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Bending GD, Jones AME, Moore JD, Goodall A, Tibbett M, Hammond JP & Wellington EMH (2017) . MicrobiologyOpen, 6(4).
  • Lidbury I, Mausz MA, Scanlan DJ & Chen Y (2017) . The ISME Journal, 11(7), 1592-1601.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Murphy ARJ, Scanlan DJ, Bending GD, Jones AME, Moore JD, Goodall A, Hammond JP & Wellington EMH (2016) . Environmental Microbiology, 18(10), 3535-3549.
  • Lidbury I, Kröber E, Zhang Z, Zhu Y, Murrell JC, Chen Y & Schäfer H (2016) . Environmental Microbiology, 18(8), 2754-2766.
  • Lidbury I, Kimberley G, Scanlan DJ, Murrell JC & Chen Y (2015) . Environmental Microbiology, 17(12), 5048-5062.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Murrell JC & Chen Y (2015) . The ISME Journal, 9(3), 760-769.
  • Zhu Y, Jameson E, Parslow RA, Lidbury I, Fu T, Dafforn TR, Schäfer H & Chen Y (2014) . Environmental Microbiology, 16(10), 3318-3330.
  • Lidbury I, Murrell JC & Chen Y (2014) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(7), 2710-2715.
  • Lidbury I, Johnson V, Hall-Spencer JM, Munn CB & Cunliffe M (2012) . Marine Pollution Bulletin, 64(5), 1063-1066.
  • Tang B-L, Yang J, Chen X-L, Wang P, Zhao H-L, Su H-N, Li C-Y, Yu Y, Zhong S, Wang L , Lidbury I et al () . Nature Communications, 11(1).
  • Sergaki C, Lagunas B, Lidbury I, Gifford ML & Schäfer P () . Frontiers in Plant Science, 9.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Murphy ARJ, Fraser TD, Bending GD, Jones AME, Moore JD, Goodall A, Tibbett M, Hammond JP, Scanlan DJ & Wellington EMH () . Scientific Reports, 7(1).

Book chapters

  • Lidbury IDEA, Hitchcock A, Groenhof SRM, Connolly AN & Moushtaq L (2024) , Advances in Microbial Physiology (pp. 1-49). Elsevier
  • Lidbury I, Rogers L, Groenhof S, Hitchcock A & McKee L (2023) Emerging roles for soil Bacteroidetes in complex carbon and organic phosphorus cycling

Preprints

  • Smith RE, Michno BJ, Christena RL, O’Dea F, Davis JL, Lidbury IDEA, Alamán-Zárate MG, Stefanidi D, Maes E, Fisher H , Prajsnar TK et al (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Martin H, Rogers LA, Moushtaq L, Brindley AA, Forbes P, Quintion AR, Murphy ARJ, Daniell TJ, Ndeh D, Amsbury S , Hitchcock A et al (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Alaman-Zarate MG, Rady BJ, Evans CA, Pian B, Greetham D, Marecos-Ortiz S, Dickman MJ, Lidbury IDEA, Lovering AL, Barstow BM & Mesnage S (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Muscatt G, Hilton S, Raguideau S, Teakle G, Lidbury IDEA, Wellington EMH, Quince C, Millard A, Bending GD & Jameson E (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Raguideau S, Liu S, Murphy ARJ, Stark R, Borsetto C, Fraser T, Goodall A, Bottrill A, Jones A , Bending GD et al (2021) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Jones RA, Shropshire H, Zhao C, Murphy A, Lidbury I, Wei T, Scanlan DJ & Chen Y (2021) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Rangama S, Lidbury IDEA, Holden JM, Borsetto C, Murphy ARJ, Hawkey PM & Wellington EMH (2021) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Murphy A, Scanlan D, Chen Y, Bottrill A, Bending G, Hammond J, Wellington E & Lidbury I (2020) , Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Scanlan DJ, Murphy ARJ, Bottrill A, Jones A, Tibbett M, Bending G, Hammond JP & Wellington EMH (2019) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Lidbury IDEA, Scanlan DJ, Murphy ARJ, Christie-Oleza JA, Aguilo-Ferretjans MM, Hitchcock A & Daniell T () .
Research group

Senior research technician

  • Laila Moushtaq

PhD

  • Sophie Groenhof (BBSRC White Rose DTP student)
  • Alex Connolly (Royal Society funded)
  • Hannah Martin (UoS and Royal Society- Funded)

Masters

  • Danai Stefanidi (MBioSci)
  • Katie Oxley (MBioSci)
  • Matty Spratt (MBioSci)
  • Nurul Fadilah (MRes) LDPD-funded
  • William Cutforth (MBioSci)
  • Jonathan Mitchell (MBioSci)
  • Lucy Rogers (MBioSci)
  • Dylan Lewis (MBioSci)
  • William Cadman (MBioSci)

Alumni

  • Mary Jo Achkar (RS-funded summer placement)
  • Polly Forbes (SURE placement)
  • Rebecca Anfield (Rank Prize Fund summer placement)
Teaching activities
  • BIS304 - Microbial Genetics and Diversity
  • BIS356 - Topics in Environmental Microbiology
Professional activities and memberships

Member of the Microbiology Society