Sarah is a Wellcome Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Microbial interactions based in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee. She is a molecular bacteriologist with long-standing interests in protein secretion systems and inter-bacterial interactions, both co-operative and competitive. Following PhD and postdoctoral work in the labs of George Salmond in Cambridge and Frank Sargent in Dundee, Sarah established her own group in 2009. Work in her lab is mainly focused on the Type VI secretion system, a protein ‘nanoweapon’ used by many bacteria to deliver toxic effector proteins into neighbouring cells. Her group aim to understand how the Type VI secretion system effectively delivers effectors into bacterial and fungal competitors, to determine the mode of action of the effectors, and to understand the impact of the system and its secreted effectors on targeted cells, populations and communities. Sarah’s contributions have been recognised by the Microbiology Society Fleming Prize, the SfAM W.H. Pierce Prize, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh Patrick Neill Medal.