Dr William Johnston
Lecturer in Biomedical Science
Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Dr William Johnston is a Lecturer in Biomedical Science. In 2018, he graduated with a BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science degree from Glasgow Caledonian University, before undertaking his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Glasgow with Professor Shauna Culshaw. His PhD thesis was titled “Investigating the host and microbial response to non-surgical periodontal therapy”, and focussed on analysing the microbiome of human dental plaque, local and systemic inflammatory responses following different dental interventions.
After completing his PhD in 2021, William returned to GCU as a postdoctoral researcher, where he worked on several projects investigating novel therapeutics for microbial biofilms, including live biotherapeutics, bacteriophage-derived endolysins and drug-repurposing strategies. Following this role, Dr Johnston was appointed as a lecturer in August 2024.
Dr Johnston’s research focuses on microbial biofilms, primarily those relating to oral disease and sexual health. In particular, he is interested in host-pathogen interactions at mucosal surfaces and the development of strategies which prevent initial bacterial adhesion mechanisms.
He is currently lead investigator on a number of projects funded by Tenovus Scotland and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA), investigating drug-repurposing for biofilm-associated bacterial vaginosis (BV), and a novel biofilm-inhibition strategy for oral health. Within GCU, Dr Johnston is a member of both the “Molecular mechanisms of long-term conditions” and “Safeguarding health through infection prevention (SHIP)” research groups.
Externally, William is an HCPC-registered biomedical scientist with licentiate membership at the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). He is also a member of the Glasgow Biofilm Research Network (GBRN), an ECR representative for SULSA and a member of the Microbiology Society.
Further details of Dr Johnston’s research and publication history can be located within his research profile.