David Allison is a Reader in Pharmacy Education in the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, University of Manchester. His first degree was in microbiology at Edinburgh University (1977-1981), as were his graduate studies (1981-1984) in microbial physiology. On leaving Edinburgh in 1984 he joined Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals for a three year postdoctotral period, followed by a further period of postdoctoral research (1987-1989), at Aston University, Birmingham. Since his appointment at Manchester in 1990 he has focused his research interests on the physiology and antimicrobial resistance properties of bacterial biofilms and the infectivity and virulence properties of opportunistic lung pathogens. He has successfully supervised a number of postgraduate students over the years, has over 100 publications in these areas and has acted as an editor to the on line journal 'Biofilm' and to J. Basic Microbiol. In addition, he has frequently acted as consultant to the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Industries and has acted on behalf of the European Commission for the auditing of sterile medical device manufacture. He has also published in this area.

Physiology and antimicrobial resistance properties of bacterial biofilms and the infectivity and virulence properties of opportunistic lung pathogens