OxTalks is Changing
OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
Competition and warfare in bacteria and the human microbiome
Microbial communities contain many evolving and interacting bacteria, which makes them complex systems that are difficult to understand and predict. We use theory – including game theory, agent-based modelling, ecological network theory and metabolic modelling – and combine this with experimental work to understand what it takes for bacteria to succeed in diverse communities. One way is to actively kill and inhibit competitors and we study the strategies that bacteria use in toxin-mediated warfare. We are now also using our approaches to understand the human gut microbiome and its key properties including ecological stability and the ability to resist invasion by pathogens (colonization resistance). Our ultimate goal is to both stabilise microbiome communities and remove problem species without the use of antibiotics.
Date:
28 November 2025, 11:00
Venue:
Mathematical Institute, Woodstock Road OX2 6GG
Venue Details:
L4
Speaker:
Prof Kevin Foster (University of Oxford)
Organising department:
Mathematical Institute
Organiser:
Sara Jolliffe (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
jolliffe@maths.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Prof Philip Maini (University of Oxford)
Part of:
Mathematical Biology and Ecology
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Sara Jolliffe
