Skip to content
Image of Dan

Dan Whiley

Lecturer

School of Science & Technology

Staff Group(s)
Bioscience

Role

Dan is a Lecturer in Microbiology and Bioinformatics with experience in clinical, public health, and industry practice. He is the module leader for Applied Microbiology and lecturers across modules within Microbiology, Biomedical Science, and Biological Sciences courses including:

  • Biosciences Tutor (Year 1-3)
  • Applied Biology (Foundation)
  • Professional Practice & Skills (Foundation)
  • Introduction to Microbiology (Year 1)
  • Practical Techniques (Year 1)
  • Professional Skills in Microbiology (Year 2)
  • Applied Microbiology (Year 2)
  • One Health (Year 2)
  • Immunology and Virology (Year 3)
  • Infectious Diseases and their Control (Year 3)

Dan also supervises PhD, Masters and undergraduate students during their projects and placements.

Career overview

Dan holds a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology, MSc (Multidisciplinary) in Microbiology, and PhD in microbial genomics from Nottingham Trent University. Prior to starting as a Lecturer in Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Dan was a Research Fellow funded by the School of Science and Technology and the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility at NTU. He has also held positions as Research Assistant in Microbial Genomics within the Antimicrobial Resistance, Omics and Microbiota (AROM) group at NTU (2023-2024), and as a Research Fellow in Streptococcus Phenomics at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham (2019-2023).

Dan has also completed two placements during his BSc (Hons) and MSc studies, one within the AROM group at NTU (2012-2013), and the other within the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit at the UK Health Security Agency (2015). Dan has been externally funded by the BBSRC DLA Magnify Scheme (BB/T0083690/1), BBSRC funded UK Health Ageing Innovation Consortium (BB/Z515048/1), and the BBSRC funded AIBIO-UK (BB/Y006933/1).

Research areas

I have developed a broad and practice-informed skill set through academic, public health, and industry-linked experience. This includes expertise in microbial genomics; bioinformatics; bacterial epidemiology; infection, prevention, and control; bacterial pathogenesis; antimicrobial resistance. My current research interests are outlined below. Research interests: My current research interests focus on developing epidemiological frameworks for bacterial pathogens, antimicrobial resistance and its evolution, and One Health with a focus on non-Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter species and how they are able to adapt and cause infection in multiple hosts. Industry and healthcare linked projects: Having previously worked on applied microbiology projects, I am interested in developing relationships with industry and healthcare partners in the area of infection, prevention and control, bioinformatics, diagnostics, and product/service development. Additionally, I am interested in knowledge exchange partnerships and improving the student experience through employer engagement with taught materials.

External activity

Dan is a member of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) People and Talent (PAT) Strategy Advisory Panel (SAP) researcher subgroup, is an Editor for Access Microbiology, and curates the Helicobacter suis PubMLST database.

Publications

Google Scholar: Daniel Whiley

Chilengue A. F. C., Whiley D. J., Cox K., Domingo-Sananes M. R., Meehan C. J. 2026. “Reference-free clustering as an epidemiological tool for Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage typing.” Microbial Genomics. 12(6):001759. DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001759.

Horton M., Whiley D. J., Mayhew M., McLean S. 2026. “Association between spirochaetal infection and neurodegenerative diseases: a systematic review and quantitative synthesis of observational studies.” Journal of Medical Microbiology. 75(3). DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.002136.

Behruznia M., Marin M., Whiley D. J., Farhat M., Thomas J. C., Domingo-Sananes M. R., Meehan C. J. 2025. “The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pangenome is small and shaped by sub-lineage-specific regions of difference.” eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.97870.4.

Whiley D., Jolley K., Blanchard A., Coffey T., Leigh J. 2024. “A core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme for Streptococcus uberis: an evolution in typing a genetically diverse pathogen.” Microbial Genomics. 10(3):001225. DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001225.

Garvey E., Rhead J., Suffian S., Whiley D., Mahmood F., Letley D., Atherton J., Winter J., Robinson K. 2023. “High incidence of antibiotic resistance amongst isolates of Helicobacter pylori collected in Nottingham, UK, between 2001 and 2018.” Journal of Medical Microbiology. 72(11). DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001776.

Wilkinson D., Alsharaf L., Thompson S., Paulin A., Takor R., Zaitoun A., Robinson K., Thomas J., McVicker G., Winter J. 2023. “Characterization of a Helicobacter pylori strain with high biofilm-forming ability.” Journal of Medical Microbiology. 72(6). DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001710.

Wilkinson D., Dickins B., Robinson K., Winter J. 2022. “Genomic diversity of Helicobacter pylori populations from different regions of the human stomach.” Gut Microbes. 14(1):2152306. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2152306.

Hall H., Wilkinson D., Le Bon M. 2021. “Oregano essential oil improves piglet health and performance through maternal feeding and is associated with changes in the gut microbiota.” Animal microbiome. 3(1):2. DOI: 10.1186/s42523-020-00064-2. Wilkinson D. 2019. “High Throughput Genomic Analysis of Helicobacter pylori Within-host Diversity.” PhD Thesis, Nottingham Trent University. https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/39527.

Phair J., Benson J., McCormac C., Cundell J., Gracheva S., Wilkinson D., Forsythe S., Davis J. 2013. “Butyl grafted polyethylene films doped with carbon black: A foundation for the development of smart bandages.” Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. 193:764-769. DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2013.12.014.

Course(s) I teach on