Dr James Barnett

Associate Professor of Life Sciences

Email:
james.barnett@bcu.ac.uk

James Barnett is an Associate Professor of Life Sciences and Professional Academic Lead for Biomedical Science. He graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2000 with a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and Genetics and began his career at The Binding Site Ltd, working in the Monoclonal Antibodies Department.

In 2002, James joined the research group of Professor Colin Robinson at the University of Warwick, where he investigated the mechanisms of protein transport in bacteria, with a particular focus on the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway. He completed his PhD in Life Sciences at Warwick in 2009 before moving to the Department of Chemistry as a postdoctoral research fellow in Professor Claudia Blindauer’s group. There, his research explored the zinc requirements of marine cyanobacteria using biochemical, molecular, and proteomic approaches.

In 2014, James transitioned to the biotechnology sector, joining Micropathology Ltd, a specialist biomedical sciences company focused on the rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases. During this time, he developed, validated, and applied PCR-based diagnostic tests for the detection of viral pathogens in clinical specimens.

James returned to higher education in 2019 when he joined Birmingham City University. Since then, he has played a leading role in the development and delivery of biomedical science courses, supporting students across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. His expertise spans microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and biomedical diagnostics, underpinned by experience gained across academic research, commercial biotechnology, and clinical diagnostics.

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