Food Standards Agency - Gael O'Neill
Gael O’Neill is a microbiologist with a research background in Molecular Microbiology, Health Care Associated Infection and Food Microbiology. She joined the Anaerobe Reference Unit of the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1994 as a Clinical Scientist and during this time developed a molecular typing system for C. difficile as well as investigating the use of molecular methods for identification of biochemically un-reactive anaerobes. In 1997 she moved to the Central Public Health Laboratory where initially she coordinated and participated in a PCR-based multi-centre study of the incidence of enteropathogenic Campylobacter infections in humans. Following completion of this project she joined the Laboratory of Hospital Infections where she was involved in molecular typing and characterisation of MRSA. After holding a lectureship in Food Microbiology at the University of Birmingham from 2000 to 2006 she joined the Food Standards Agency and is currently a Senior Scientific Officer in the Food Hazards and Consumer Protection Branch of the Microbiological Safety Division.
