Susheel Bhanu Busi

Environmental Resilience • Genomic Traits • Planetary Health

Susheel Bhanu Busi

Head of Molecular Ecology at UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Leads molecular ecology at UKCEH, developing molecular observatories and genome-resolved approaches to track environmental microbiomes, antimicrobial resistance, soil health, and ecosystem change across terrestrial and aquatic systems.

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  • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Biofilms
  • Environmental DNA (eDNA)
  • Environmental resilience
  • Genomic traits
  • Genome-resolved metagenomics
  • Longitudinal microbiome dynamics
  • Microbial observatories
  • Microbial source tracking (MST)
  • Planetary Health
  • Soil health indicators

About

Delivering molecular ecology from discovery to operational evidence

Susheel leads molecular ecology at UKCEH, aligning research with national monitoring needs and emerging UKRI priorities. His current work develops molecular observatories that can track longitudinal microbiome dynamics and turn microbial data into practical evidence for environmental resilience and Planetary Health.

Across UKCEH, the University of Luxembourg, and the University of Missouri, he has built expertise in antimicrobial resistance, glacier-fed stream biofilms, environmental microbiomes, and multi-omics integration. His work combines metagenome-assembled genomes, gene catalogues, and trait frameworks to understand how microbial communities shape ecosystem function and health.

Research strengths

  • High-resolution longitudinal microbiome monitoring
  • Genome-resolved metagenomics and trait framework design
  • Metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, and metaproteomics integration
  • Antimicrobial resistance and mobile genetic elements
  • Biofilms, soil health indicators, and aquatic ecosystem microbiology

Research

Current support and leadership priorities

Selected research support

  • 2026–2027
    CLEAR-NEAGH

    Natural Environment Research Council. Principal investigator on catchment-level environmental AMR and eDNA reconnaissance for Lough Neagh.

  • 2025–2029
    P-FASE

    Natural Environment Research Council. Co-investigator on PFAS sources, fate, and risks across UK environments.

  • 2025–2027
    MICRO-CYCLE

    NERC-funded work linking microbial genomic traits to river continuum organic matter cycling and molecular composition.

  • 2022
    Nimools alleng, ëmmer mateneen

    Luxembourg National Research Foundation public-engagement project on living in a microbial world.

  • 2020–2022
    PERSIST

    Switzerland National Science Foundation support on climate change impacts in high-mountain stream microbiomes.

Recent highlights

Experience

Professional and research experience

  1. 2025–Present

    Head of Molecular Ecology

    UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK

    Leads molecular ecology strategy, national monitoring alignment, partnership development, and funding delivery across UKCEH.

  2. 2023–2025

    Molecular Ecologist

    UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK

    Developed high-resolution tools for longitudinal microbiome dynamics and linked genomic diversity to ecosystem function.

  3. 2019–2023

    Research and Development Specialist

    University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Worked on Planetary Health AMR, cross-domain interactions, and multi-omics analysis of glacier-fed stream biofilms.

  4. 2013–2018

    Graduate Research Associate

    University of Missouri, USA

    Used integrated RNA-seq, 16S rDNA sequencing, metabolomics, and microbiology to study colon cancer and gut biofilms in rodent models.

  5. 2012–2013

    Research Scientist

    Imagilin Technology LLC., Frederick, Maryland, USA

    Led probiotic product R&D, strain selection, and microbiological method development for nutraceutical products.

  6. 2009–2011

    Operations Manager and Associate Research Scientist

    Imagilin Technology LLC., Frederick, Maryland, USA

    Oversaw probiotic manufacturing, cGMP implementation, SOPs, inventory systems, and large-scale fermentation workflows.

  7. 2008–2009

    AdWords Representative

    Google Inc., Hyderabad, India

Background

Education, teaching, and affiliations

Education

  • PhD, Molecular Pathogenesis and Therapeutics, University of Missouri, 2018
  • MS, Biomedical Science, Hood College, 2012
  • BSc, Microbiology, Madras Christian College, 2008
  • Dissertation focus: biofilms and the complex gut microbiome in colon cancer

Teaching and affiliations

  • Teaches Global Environmental Change in the Anthropocene at the University of Luxembourg
  • Contributed to Veterinary Research Scholars and laboratory animal summer programmes at Missouri
  • Professional affiliations include AACR, Luxembourg Society of Microbiology, and the University of Missouri Alumni Association
  • Active in mentoring, thesis committees, undergraduate advising, reviewing, and outreach

GitHub

Public coding activity

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GitHub contribution calendar for susheelbhanu

Contribution activity

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Publications

Featured publications

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Bluesky

Updates from the Molecular Ecology group (UKCEH)

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Recent posts and threads from the group’s Bluesky account.

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Contact

Collaborations, talks, and academic enquiries

Interested in collaboration, invited talks, environmental monitoring partnerships, or Planetary Health work? The fastest route is email, and the form below also reaches the site inbox.