Neville Firth is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney. He received his PhD from Monash University for studies of the Escherichia coli F plasmid conjugation system. His research concerns the roles of mobile genetic elements in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance, and specifically seeks to understand at the molecular level the biology of plasmids and transposable elements that facilitate the acquisition, maintenance and dissemination of resistance genes in staphylococci. Current research projects in his laboratory focus on replication, maintenance and conjugative transfer mechanisms of Staphylococcus aureus multiresistance plasmids.