Dr Philip Carter is a molecular microbiologist and works at ESR, a New Zealand organisation that provides independent scientific advice and services to a number of New Zealand government ministries. This includes surveillance and monitoring of water quality, infectious disease surveillance and reference laboratory work (all for the Ministry of Health), forensic science (Police), and risk assessment of food contamination (Ministry for Primary Industries). The science services that ESR provides are supported by research directly linked to their areas of interest. Dr Carter has a degree in biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Aberdeen. Following postdoctoral work he became a lecturer in the Dept. Medical Microbiology at the University of Aberdeen where his research interests included the population structure of a number of bacterial pathogens. He moved to New Zealand to take up a position in ESR as a science leader where he led a number of research programmes and projects. His current research interests include the population genetics of Neisseria meningitidis, Campylobacter, E. coli O157 and Salmonella, and the rapid detection of pathogens using microfluidic devices. He is currently Chief Scientist at ESR and is involved in the strategic planning and direction of ESR science.