Rate My Professor Marion Schoof

Dr. Marion Schoof is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago, working in the Fineran Lab within the Phage Host Interaction Team. She is affiliated with the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences in the Health Sciences Division. Her research focuses on molecular microbiology, particularly phage host interactions, with current work centered on cherry phages. Previously, Schoof spent nine years at AgResearch, where she investigated entomopathogenic bacteria and their modes of action, including studies on microbial stability in bacterial biopesticides for insect control. She completed her PhD at Lincoln University, New Zealand, with a thesis titled 'Defining the mechanism of Yersinia entomophaga MH96 exoprotein release,' examining protein secretion mechanisms in this entomopathogenic bacterium.

Schoof has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications in her field. Notable works include 'Identification of genes involved in exoprotein release using a high-throughput screening method in the entomopathogenic bacterium Yersinia entomophaga' (PLoS ONE, 2022), where she served as first author; 'Evolution of virulence in a novel family of transmissible mega-plasmids' (Environmental Microbiology, 2021); 'Serratia-based toxin cluster elements are associated with a type I fimbria' (MicrobiologyOpen, 2024); 'Lysis Cassette-Mediated Exoprotein Release in Yersinia entomophaga' (Microbiology Spectrum, 2023); and 'Stepwise assembly and release of Tc toxins from Yersinia entomophaga' (Nature Microbiology, 2024). These publications highlight her expertise in bacterial virulence factors, toxin release mechanisms, and genomic approaches to pathogen and pest biology. As a researcher in the Phage Host Interactions laboratory led by Professor Peter Fineran, Schoof contributes to advancing understanding of bacteriophage-bacteria dynamics relevant to biocontrol applications. Her work bridges entomopathogen research with phage biology, supporting efforts in biological pest management.