Julie’s work experience prior to returning to education included being a cashier for Lloyds Bank and catering manager of several school kitchens. It was here that she developed her interest in food safety and decided to apply to University to further her knowledge in this area.

Julie studied her BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (Food Microbiology) degree at Wolverhampton University which led to employment in quality control for a local company that imported dried fruits and nuts from all over the world. Julie re-joined the University of Wolverhampton in 2002 as a demonstrator of biosciences and her teaching has covered a broad range of subjects including microbiology, biochemistry and genetics and molecular biology.

While teaching Julie pursued her interest in microbiology by studying the effects of food industry cleaning procedures on bacteria, through a part time PhD at Wolverhampton University, which she completed in 2012.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities Julie is a tutor to first year students who benefit from her personal experiences of being a student at the University.

Walton, J.T., Hill, D.J., Protheroe, R.G., Nevill, A. and Gibson, H. (2008) Investigation into the effect of detergents on disinfectant susceptibility of attached Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 105, (1), 309–315.