Bonnie Whatmough

Bonnie’s PhD project is focused on rare strains of Actinobacteria, namely Pseudonocardia, which have been isolated from fungus-farming ants.

She is interested in identifying antibiotic compounds from these bacteria; specifically the antifungals utilised by the ants in the defence of their fungal crop. This contributes to our understanding of the ant microbiome and poses the opportunity for novel antibiotic discovery.