Karen SCOTT is a Molecular Microbiologist with key interests in investigating the (molecular) mechanisms by which key members of the gut microbiota interact with the diet and host, at different life-stages. The fermentation products of gut bacteria contribute to gut health, and are differentially expressed on different substrates. In vitro bacterial growth studies utilising our large culture collection of gut anaerobes (in pure culture, mixed culture, fermentor systems, and also with human cells) combined with bioinformatic analyses of genome sequence data illustrate niche-specific processes and bacterial interactions. Resident bacteria are also an important reservoir of transferable antimicrobial resistance genes, and another key interest focusses on the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance from farm to fork, and between commensal and pathogenic bacteria.