Professor Mark Schembri is an ARC Future Fellow in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland. He is also Deputy Director of the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre. His research is in the field of bacterial pathogenesis. His specialist interest is in the area of uropathogenic Escherichia coli, with a focus on the role of bacterial surface proteins in adhesion, aggregation, biofilm formation and colonisation of the urinary tract.