Our current lines of enquiry are polyglucan and starch biosynthesis in microbes and plants, and symbiosis signalling in plants. We are a multidisciplinary group that studies enzymes at the atomic level using biochemical and biophysical methods along with complementary molecular biology approaches to address physiological function. Our work is framed within the context of food security (nitrogen utilisation and carbon storage in plants) and human health (novel targets for antibiotics). Enzymes that have been studied previously include cupins, such as oxalate-degading enzymes, and chorismate synthase that are involved in plant and microbial responses to biotic and abiotic stress or are targets for antibiotics and herbicides.