Ben Jones

Ben Jones is a PhD student at the University of Surrey currently working within the Epidemiology and Public Health department under the supervision of Dr Martha Betson and Dr Arnoud van Vliet. His work focuses on trying to understand the development of anthelmintic resistance in Ascaris. Ben has been investigating the β-tubulin genes and the role that they play in the development of benzimidazole resistance. Using genomic and transcriptomic assemblies he has identified multiple β-tubulin genes and have experimentally determined their expression profiles at various life stages. Ben has also used in silico methods to model how mutations in β-tubulins can alter drug interactions and lead to benzimidazole resistance. Prior to his PhD, Ben completed a Masters by Research at Kingston University which focused on the Asian cattle schistosomes Schistosoma spindale and Schistosoma indicum. The research found high levels of mitochondrial diversity between two populations of S. spindale which was suggestive of cryptic speciation.