Members

Following graduation from the vet school at the University of Cambridge, Chris undertook specialist clinical training in equine gastroenterology and a PhD at the University of Liverpool. He was a clinical teacher and researcher at Liverpool University until 2013, focussing on the causes and treatment of equine intestinal disease. Following a move to the University of Surrey, where he led the development of the UK’s eighth school of veterinary medicine, he incorporated metagenomics and metabolomics into his research. He has supported the veterinary research community through chairing the Veterinary Advisory Committee of Petplan Charitable Trust, and past membership of the HBLB’s Veterinary Advisory Committee and the Scientific Steering Committee of the One Health European Joint Programme.

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• X: @cproudman 

Roberto graduated in 1995 and holds a postgraduate degree in veterinary microbiology from the Royal Veterinary College and a PhD on the pathogenesis of E. coli in poultry from Royal Holloway, University of London. He was formerly Head of Pathogenesis and Control at the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency before joining the founding team of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey. Roberto is currently a Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology and Head of the School of Biosciences. Roberto’s research focusses on zoonotic bacterial pathogens of livestock, poultry and companion animals. He has over 200 peer reviewed publications in the area of veterinary microbiology and pathology and is a member of several scientific advisory committees, including for the Food Standards Agency, Royal College of Pathologists, APHA and the Jenner Institute. 

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Jack graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Biosciences from the University of Northampton before undertaking a Master of Research in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Birmingham. In 2020, Jack undertook a PhD researching Canine Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (“Alabama Rot”) at the School of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Surrey. As a microbiologist, Jack’s expertise lies in gut microbiota exploration through metagenomics and metabolomics. Jack worked as part of the communication, and education and training team for the One Health European Joint Project, where he gained extensive experience in science communication and project management. In December 2023, Jack began a Research Fellow role investigating next-generation probiotics for equine health.

After obtaining his PhD at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Arnoud worked at the University of Leicester, UK, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, working on different aspects of molecular microbiology of human, foodborne and zoonotic bacterial pathogens. In 2007, he took up a position as Research Leader at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK, where he led a research group focusing on the foodborne pathogens Campylobacter and Listeria. He moved to the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Surrey in 2016, where he has built the bioinformatic infrastructure for the analysis of large genomic datasets and other bioinformatics techniques, while continuing his research on antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic infections of bacterial pathogens. Within the Horse Microbiome Research Group, Arnoud supports and maintains the bioinformatic facilities and helps with the interpretation of the results.

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Chloe graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a First Class Honors in BSc Equine Sports Science before carrying on with her studies at NTU by completing a Master of Research in Equine Health and Welfare. In October 2022, Chloe began working at the University of Surrey as a Laboratory Technician in the School of Veterinary Medicine's teaching laboratories, where she assisted in the general running and maintenance of the laboratories, preparing, setting up, and delivering practical's, alongside assisting with other areas of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Taking the skills from her studies and previous role in the University of Surrey, Chloe is now working as a Research Assistant in the School of Veterinary Medicine on the ALBORADA Well Foal Study II, alongside Professor Christopher Proudman, and has become a member of the Horse Microbiome Research Group.
 

Brenda Moita is a passionate researcher specialising in Equine Grass Sickness (EGS), a devastating neurodegenerative disease affecting horses. Her PhD project seeks to solve the complex molecular mechanisms of EGS through innovative approaches in proteomics, biomarker discovery, and computational biology. As a Member of the Royal Society of Biology (MRSB), Brenda is driven to advance equine health through rigorous scientific inquiry.

Her research integrates bottom-up proteomics, machine learning, and proteogenomics to identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for EGS. By employing cutting-edge technologies, such as AlphaFold3 and Python-based bioinformatics tools, Brenda bridges computational and experimental techniques to provide new insights into this poorly understood condition.