image: Professor James Prosser view more
Credit: Applied Microbiology International
AMI Honorary Fellowships are given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to or impact on the field of applied microbiology. Honorary Fellows of AMI are nominated and chosen each year by the organisation’s membership.
James Prosser is Emeritus Professor in Environmental Microbiology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen.
He was awarded a BSc in Microbiology by Queen Elizabeth College, University of London in 1972 and a PhD by the University of Liverpool in 1975. He then carried out postdoctoral research in Liverpool before moving to a lectureship at the University of Aberdeen, where he held a Personal Chair prior to retirement in 2020.
Soil microorganisms
His research focuses on the ecophysiology, diversity and ecosystem function of soil microorganisms, with particular emphasis on ammonia oxidisers, which play a central role in the global nitrogen cycle. This research uncovered novel microbial groups involved in biogeochemical cycling processes and situations in which niche specialisation impacts on process rates.
He demonstrated the role of pH and ammonia supply on ammonia oxidiser communities, the influence of community composition on ecosystem function, including nitrous oxide emissions, and the global implications for nitrogen fertiliser strategies.
This research involved the development of molecular techniques to characterise natural communities of soil microorganisms, and their activities, and the use of model systems to address ecological questions. He has also published on the use of ‘omics technologies and different scientific approaches in the study of microbial ecology.
Scientific societies
Professor Prosser is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Society of Biology and the American Academy of Microbiology.
He was awarded an OBE for services to Environmental Science in 2013, holds an Honorary Degree from the University of Ljubljana and is a CAS Distinguished International Professor. He has served on the Editorial Boards of several microbial ecology journals, including AMI publication Environmental Microbiology, was Publications Manager for FEMS and has been a Director of NCIMB since 1994.
Proud member
Responding to the AMI announcement, he said: “I am delighted and honoured to receive this prestigious award. I have been a proud member of the Society since the early 1970s and the award is particularly significant given the Society’s enormous contributions to microbiology.
“In accepting the award, I must acknowledge the significant contributions of the postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers and research collaborators with whom I have been privileged to work throughout my career.”
Professor Prosser will be awarded the 2023 Honorary Fellowship by Applied Microbiology International at the Environmental Microbiology Lecture event on 16 November 2023.
This year’s EMI Lecture, held at BMA House in London, will also recognise Professor Betül Kaçar, an outstanding researcher in the field of environmental microbiology, in partnership with our partners Wiley, who publish our journal Environmental Microbiology.
To find out more about the event, click HERE.