I am currently a PhD student working in the Tuberculosis team at the RVC. My project uses the CRISPRi/dCas9 system to verify a number of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genes previously predicted as essential in-vitro by TraSH and TraDIS screens. The Mtb genome is 99.9% similar to the Mycobacterium bovis genome, hence I am mirroring my research M. bovis. The aim is to identify essential mycobacterial genes with probable links to virulence, survival or antimicrobial resistance which may lead to the discovery of potential novel therapeutic targets and vaccine candidates for bovine and human tuberculosis.