Nicholas Stephen Jakubovics (born 1973) is a British dental researcher and academic who is a professor of oral

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

at the School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University. He is editor-in-chief of the

Journal of Dental Research The ''Journal of Dental Research'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal that covers all aspects of dentistry. The editor-in-chief is Nicholas Jakubovics (Newcastle University, UK). It was established in 1919 and is published by SAGE Publications ...

. His research concentrates on microbial adhesion, colonisation and cell-cell interactions, primarily in

dental plaque Dental plaque is a biofilm of microorganisms (mostly bacteria, but also fungi) that grows on surfaces within the mouth. It is a sticky colorless deposit at first, but when it forms tartar, it is often brown or pale yellow. It is commonly found bet ...

Career

Jakubovics studied

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status ...

before completing a doctorate at

Warwick University , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

under the supervision of Crawford S. Dow. He subsequently worked with Howard Jenkinson at Bristol Dental School investigating the adhesion, colonisation and sensing mechanisms of oral

streptococci ''Streptococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive ' (plural ) or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs ...

. In 2004, Jakubovics obtained a

NIH The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Post-Doctoral Fellowship to work with Paul Kolenbrander at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, on cell-cell interactions in oral

biofilms A biofilm comprises any syntrophic consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface. These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular ...

. He joined Newcastle Dental School as Lecturer in Oral Microbiology in 2007 and was promoted to Professor in 2022. His research employs techniques from

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a sub-field of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the ...

to understand how oral biofilms form and to investigate the impact of different treatments. Jakubovics co-authored a 2019 paper finding that early-stage bacterial growth was slowed by the use of rose petal-like hierarchical surfaces. He also studies biofilms elsewhere in the human body, including prosthetic joint, middle ear, and sinus infections. Jakubovics, Alexander H. Rickard, Derek Samarian, and Ethan Kolderman jointly hold a patent for the use of L-

arginine Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H2N)(HN)CN(H)(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. The molecule features a guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid framework. At physiological pH, the carboxylic acid is deprotonated (−CO2−) and both the am ...

to remove dental plaque. Jakubovics has been editor-in-chief of the

since April 2020.

Personal life

Jakubovics has represented

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in the

Four Nations Chess League {{Unreferenced, date=November 2022 The 4NCL, or Four Nations Chess League, is a chess league in the United Kingdom and named after its four nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. However, the league is truly international, with pl ...

. He has two children and lives in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

References

External links

Oral Microbiology Group at Newcastle University

Google Scholar profile

Patents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakubovics, Nicholas 1973 births Living people Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Academics of Newcastle University Alumni of the University of Warwick British microbiologists 21st-century British biologists Dental academics