Ronnie is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. With a research focus at the intersection of biomedical and environmental sciences, he investigates the complex interactions between amphizoic amoebae (organisms capable of both parasitic and free-living lifestyles) and the bacterial endosymbionts they harbour. A major goal of his research is to understand how these interactions contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to assess their impact on pathogenicity and detectability. His research also focuses on understanding the mechanisms of resistance to frontline therapeutics in clinically relevant amoebae such as Acanthamoeba, and identifying ways in which these mechanisms can be circumvented should they arise.

Ronnie has extensive expertise in molecular techniques, omics, bioinformatics, and cytotoxicity analysis. The far-reaching impact of this work has fostered a broad network of collaborators across academia, healthcare, and industry. Current partnerships include collaborations with eye-care corporations and clinicians to develop preventive and therapeutic approaches targeting pathogens, particularly Acanthamoeba, and with the aquaculture industry to improve detection and treatment strategies for Neoparamoeba spp., which cause amoebic gill disease in fish. Additionally, he works closely with wastewater treatment plants, hospitals, universities, government agencies, and pollution control boards to investigate and mitigate the spread of amoebae and AMR bacteria in water systems.

He is currently working on several projects focusing on the interkingdom interactions between protists and bacteria and is open to further collaborations where he can provide significant expertise in free-living amoebae and the role they play in the emergence and spread of AMR.