Masters Students

Matt Streets

After I completed my BSc in Microbiology at the University of Nottingham, I had the tough decision between a PhD in crop microbiology and starting a career in industry. In the end, I accepted an opportunity at Rawwater in 2010 which brought me to the North West of England where I’ve been working for the past 10 years.

During my time at Rawwater, my laboratory research has focussed on understanding oilfield microbiology under simulated field conditions using pressurised, sand-packed bioreactors. The issues caused by microorganisms are widespread in the Oil & Gas industry, but one of the greatest challenges is fully understanding the phenomenon that is oilfield reservoir souring (the generation and subsequent production of hydrogen sulphide gas). During my part-time MPhil, I hope to continue this research and further the collaborative work with the Geomicrobiology group.

I’m a big follower of sport and a huge fan of the mighty Manchester United. My other great love is music, and in my spare time, I am a member of a karaoke rock band.

If I had to pick a favourite microorganism, it would probably have to be Desulfotignum toluenicum, a toluene-degrading, sulphate reducer which caught us by surprise when we analysed some pressurised bioreactor effluent a few years ago. Email: matthew.streets@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

Leanne Walker

Hi! I’m Leanne and I am originally from the friendly town of Bolton. I graduated from the University of Manchester in 2011 with a BSc in Microbiology, and then joined Rawwater Engineering Company Ltd. to work as a Project Officer researching downhole microbiological souring in oil and gas fields. Since then, I have progressed in my career to now be a Senior Research Scientist, and a key focus of my research is on the control and remediation of sulphidogenic microbial activity under flowing pressurised conditions to replicate the downhole environment of water-flooded oil wells.

I have joined the Geomicrobiology group to work part time on an MPhil investigating the composition and population shifts within oilfield microbial communities in pressurised bioreactors. Some work similar to this has been previously presented with Dr. Sophie Nixon in relation to guar gum injection in hydraulic fracturing systems, as well as with the BP Biosciences Group investigating the effects of nitrate injection on sulfidogenic microbial populations.

In my spare time I enjoy cooking new recipes, going to museums, trying new restaurants in Manchester, gaming and watching Netflix. Along with some other members of my lab, I am a big fan of K-Dramas and unusual reality TV shows!

My favourite microbe would have to be Leuconostoc mesenteroides as it is essential for the production of fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut, and is used extensively in cheese production! Also, under the right conditions it can produce a lot of extracellular dextran which makes the inoculated growth medium a lovely (!) consistency.