Our research has involved the development and use of molecular genetics and other techniques to investigate multiple processes in diverse Gram-negative bacteria. Processes investigated have included plant pathogenesis, virulence factor secretion systems, biosynthesis and regulation of antibiotics, quorum sensing, gas vesicle morphogenesis and the isolation, characterisation and exploitation of many environmental bacteriophages. The phages have been used to investigate abortive infection processes, toxin-antitoxin systems, characterisation of viral surface receptors and their use in host range engineering.

Professor Salmond is Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Cambridge. As a postdoctoral researcher in Edinburgh, Professor Salmond worked on the molecular genetics of cell division in E coli and continued into his first lectureship post in Canterbury. At Warwick, he continued to work on E coli and also started work on developing the genetics of the potato pathogen, Erwinia (Pectobacterium). That work initially focussed on exoenzyme secretion and led to the definition of the first four protein secretion systems (Type I-IV).

The development of genetic tools for the study of Erwinia led to work on virulence in phytopathogenesis and carbapenem antibiotic synthesis through the phenomenon of quorum sensing. The study of the genes involved in carbapenem synthesis led to a related study of biosynthesis and regulation of antibiotics in Serratia and analysis of quorum sensing in that host. Study of Serratia hosts and some rhizosphere enterobacteria led to the discovery, analysis and regulation of various antibiotics (carbapenems, prodigiosin, andrimid, oocydin /haterumalides, zeamine and solanimycin).

The development of genetic tools for these bacteria was enabled by isolation and characterisation and the use of new environmental phages. This led to the discovery of abortive infection of phages due to toxin-antitoxin systems. The Serratia strain that made prodigiosin and a carbapenem also had the capacity to make intracellular gas vesicles also controlled by quorum sensing. Analysis of the bacterial surface receptors of various phages led to genetic approaches that allowed manipulation of the viral host range of phages.

Professor Salmond is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, of the Royal Society of Biology, of the American Academy of Microbiology and the European Academy of Microbiology.