Meet Early Career Microbiologist of the Year talk finalist: Liam Walsh
Posted on September 29, 2025 by Microbiology Society
This year, the Microbiology Society is awarding Early Career Microbiologist of the Year prizes from two streams. Both prizes recognise excellence in science communication by a member who is an undergraduate, postgraduate student or within five years of appointment to their first position.
Each of the finalists, who either presented a poster or offered a talk at Annual Conference 2025, was selected to present their research in the poster or talk final. In the lead-up to the talk final, taking place on 7 October 2025 during the Executive Committee meeting, we speak to talk finalist Liam Walsh, from Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ireland.
What are your current research interests?
I am a microbial ecologist, and my research surveys microbes across diverse environments, with a focus on fermented foods and the human gut. I aim to understand how variation in microbial communities links to traits of interest, such as production techniques that favour flavour- or vitamin-producing microbes, or differences in gut communities associated with human health. Ultimately, I am interested in connecting microbial diversity to meaningful outcomes in food and health.
How would you explain your research to a GCSE student?
Imagine a jar of kefir as a small town full of different microbes. Each one has a job. Some make vitamins, some break down sugars, and others produce the tastes and smells we recognise. I study how this town changes over time, how new members join or leave, and how the group works together. By learning about kefir, we can also understand how the much bigger community of microbes in our gut behaves.
What inspired you to go into this field of work?
I’ve always been curious about the hidden worlds around us and how something microscopic can shape so much of life and health. What really hooked me was learning that humans are, in many ways, part microbe. While our own genome has about 20,000 genes, the microbiome brings millions, including many of the genes needed to digest and transform our food. Realising that microbes are not just passengers but essential partners completely changed my perspective. That idea pushed me to combine microbiology with computational tools to uncover how they influence nutrition, resilience, and disease.
What advice would you share with someone interested in working in this field?
If you’re curious about microbiology, don’t be put off by how complex the microbiome can seem. The field is wide open and there are lots of ways to get involved. Some people start in the lab, others through coding or data science, and many combine the two. What matters most is keeping an open mind and being willing to look at problems from different angles. A holistic approach often leads to the best insights, and the most exciting discoveries often come from unexpected collaboration.
What do you love most about your job?
What I love most is the variety - no two days are the same. Despite being a Bioinformatician, much of my time isn’t just spent coding. I’m often planning experiments, working with collaborators across disciplines, or sharing findings with the public. Outreach and citizen science projects, like my work on kefir, are some of the most rewarding parts of my job because they connect research directly with people. That blend of analysis, teamwork, and communication makes microbiology an exciting and fulfilling career.