We are pleased to announce Merve Zeden as the winner of the Outstanding Early Career Microbiologist Award 2025. Merve is a Research Ireland Pathway Fellow, and her research group is dedicated to unraveling the molecular mechanisms of AMR in ESKAPE pathogens. She is also a member of Microbiology Society.
This Award in particular aims to recognize Early Career Researchers that have realized an excellent body of (published) research and research potential. The nomination can be based on a single exceptionally significant achievement or the aggregate of a number of exemplary achievements.
Merve Zeden is the distinguished recipient of this year’s Outstanding Early Career Microbiologist Award in recognition of her exceptional achievements and leadership in the field. She has shown remarkable scientific independence, with 16 first-author publications—several without her supervisor—and multiple last or sole-author papers. Awarded the prestigious Research Ireland Pathway Fellowship (2023–2027), she now leads her own group studying antibiotic resistance in MRSA. She is an active lecturer and mentor, with strong contributions to outreach and academic service. These include roles on 12 editorial boards, co-chairing conferences, and founding the Research Staff Network at the University of Galway.
Could you describe your science journey in getting to where you are today?
I am a Cypriot scientist and my passion for microbiology brought me to Imperial College London for my BSc Microbiology degree. My research career started in summer 2013, where I completed a research internship at the Biotechnology Research Centre at Cyprus International University over the summer holiday. I spent 3 months examining how different concentrations of marine algal extracts (Scytosiphon lomentaria & Cytoseira mediterranea) differentially inhibit human breast cancer cell lines of markedly different metastatic potential, and assessed the impact of piliated uropathogenic E. coli on highly metastatic breast cancer cell lines. Through this research experience, I was introduced to tissue culture maintenance and advanced my cell staining and microscopy skills.
At Imperial, my final year project on ‘Characterisation of a new family of HD-GYP proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa’ cemented my passion for scientific research. I did a UROP summer internship in Prof. Alain Filloux’s lab, where I was introduced to a variety of molecular biology and microbiology techniques including cloning, protein expression, western blotting, bacterial two-hybrid (BACTH) screening, gene knockout, biofilms, motility tests.
During my Masters of Research (MRes) in Biomedical Research (Bacterial Pathogenesis and Infection Stream) at Imperial College London my first project was on cyclic-di-GMP binding proteins in P. aeruginosa. This 6-month project included establishment of a chemotaxis assay protocol, work with radioactive isotopes, BACTH screening, microscopy and protein purification. My second project was on understanding what makes c-di-AMP essential for the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and included construction of a diadenylate cyclase gene (dacA) deletion mutant in S. aureus, characterization of its phenotypes.
Following on from achieving a distinction in my MRes, I was granted a Medical Research Council Clinical Microbiology PhD studentship at Imperial College London. I pursued my PhD in the Gründling lab investigating the requirement of the signalling nucleotide c-di-AMP for the growth of Staphylococcus aureus at Imperial also. During my PhD, I became expert in many new techniques including competitive ELISAs, next generation sequencing, oxygen electrode measurements, radiolabelled uptake experiments, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, whole genome sequencing, etc. I was also certified for Principles of Radiation Protection. I collaborated and visited Prof. Paul Fey’s lab in University of Nebraksa Medical Centre, (UNMC) to perform amino acid uptake analysis. I also had the amazing opportunity to teach two years in a row (2018 and 2019) at the Advanced Bacterial Genetics course in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA.
After successfully completing my PhD, I took up a postdoctoral researcher position in the University of Galway with Prof. O’Gara in 2020 as part of my career plan to integrate my molecular microbiology expertise more deeply with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research, given the scale of the societal challenge posed by AMR pathogens. My postdoctoral position allowed me to become more independent as a researcher. I gained experience in laboratory management, financial procurement, project supervision and grant applications. In the O’Gara lab, I worked on several projects linking bacterial metabolism to antibiotic resistance in Methicillin Resistant S. aureus. I collaborated and visited Prof. Vinai C. Thomas’s lab in UNMC to perform metabolomics experiments.
In 2023, I was awarded a Research Ireland (previously Science Foundation Ireland-Irish Research Council) Pathway Fellowship to establish my independent research group. My research group is investigating the molecular mechanisms of AMR as well as developing targeted therapeutics for ESKAPE pathogens. I am a collaborator partner on a recent grant awarded by the EU Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR) on AMR Interventions. (https://www.jpiamr.eu/projects/purify-amr/) and the Health Research Board.
I am also a Honorary Research lecturer in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, Institute for Health Discovery and Innovation at the University of Galway. The AdvanceHE Aurora Leadership Programme (2023) encouraged me to establish a Research Staff Network, to support researchers within the University of Galway and I am the Chair of this Network. I am also a research staff representative on College of Science and Engineering Research and Innovation committee, Academic Council, Údarás na hOllscoile and the Irish Research Staff Association. I am an Early Career Editorial board member 2024-26 for the American Society Microbiology flagship journal mBio, and a Galway representative on the Irish Division of the Microbiology Society.
I have been supported by the Irish Research and Innovation system since 2020 and I am very grateful to my mentors, collaborators, colleagues, and funders that have supported me throughout my scientific career journey so far. I also want to acknowledge how thankful I am to Dr. Seána Duggan and Prof. Jim O’Gara for nominating me for this award.”
What is your favourite microbe, and why?
It’s got to be Staphylococcus aureus! I have been working with Staph since 2015 and it finds ways to amaze me still! S. aureus can live in our nose, and skin transiently or permanently and not lead to disease. It is also an opportunistic pathogen, and can lead to so many types of infections, in many sites in the body, as it has such a spectacular metabolic adaptability. Within a staphylococcal abscess, glucose can become limiting, so S. aureus utilizes its ability to catabolize secondary carbon sources, like amino acids, to survive. So called a “superbug”, S. aureus is also famous for its ability to become resistant to many antibiotics, which is not so great.”
What are your personal aspirations?
I aspire to be a supportive mentor to future scientists, and a leader in molecular microbiological research. I want to continue to contribute to innovative, sustainable, excellent and open-access research, to create groundbreaking solutions to the global health challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance in disease causing microbes.”
Through the award, you will attend FEMS MICRO 2025. What will the research you present there be about?
Yes, I am very grateful for this opportunity. I will be presenting my research over the past few years on understanding the link between bacterial metabolism and antibiotic resistance, and how with this understanding we can manipulate bacterial metabolism to overcome antibiotic resistance with the use of innovative therapeutic strategies.”
You are an active member of a microbiology society, involved in teaching, scientific events, society journals and in science communication. What motivates you to do this besides your research?
Society journals are key for the scientific community, and is very rewarding to contribute and be a small part of this community in any way I can. Networking, collaborations, supporting peers are all very important and I like to engage with researchers in different fields through scientific events! I am also passionate about science communication! You learn so much through interacting with people in science communication events, and if we as scientists don’t do it, who will? I value inspiring future scientists, and seeing the spark in their eyes when they hear facts about microbiology is invaluable!”