Beyond the Biofilm: New Frontiers in Surface Science
As part of #BiofilmWeek, our Beyond the Biofilm series is spotlighting exciting and diverse research from across our NBIC partner institutions. We hear from early career researchers, PhD students, and Interdisciplinary Research Fellows who are contributing fresh perspectives to biofilm and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) science. Their stories highlight not only innovation in research, but also the value of inclusion, collaboration, and diversity in driving scientific discovery.
In this blog, Dr Jontana Allkja, a Research Coordinator and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Liverpool’s Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces, shares her journey from a childhood curiosity in STEM to investigating biofilm formation at the cellular level. She reflects on her experiences navigating international education, mentorship, and collaborative research initiatives. She also highlights her involvement in advancing biofilm standards and looks ahead to expanding her expertise in surface science to drive future discoveries in the field.
An Early Passion for STEM
From a young age, I was always interested in STEM subjects like maths, chemistry and biology. I always wanted to break my toys apart and learn how they worked. The deeper I delved into biology studies, the more intricate systems became and trying to understand how a tiny element of the system could have a visible effect on our lives was fascinating. I think that is what attracted me to microbiology, particularly the study of infectious diseases.
A Scientific Journey from Albania to the UK
Growing up in Albania, the focus from early education was always on working towards stable career options such as engineering, medicine, economics and similar fields. Transferring to the UK in my final year of high school, to study A-levels in preparation for university applications, created an opportunity to learn about more diverse career options and more specific University degrees focused on a particular area of interest. That gave me the freedom to apply for a more specific degree like microbiology, rather than the broader medicine degree I had originally planned. The more I interacted with the academic environment during my undergraduate and master’s degrees, the more interested I became in pursuing a career in research.
Dr Allkja presenting at the Biofilm Regulatory Toolbox cost action meeting in Amsterdam, September 2025.
Unique facilities at the Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces of The University of Liverpool allowing the analysis of materials, surfaces and biofilms at the nanoscale and single cell level.
Understanding Early Biofilm Formation
I am investigating early biofilm formation events for dual-species bacterial communities, to understand key steps in this process such as initial attachment and the beginnings of EPS formation from the single cell level upwards. We plan to use multiple microscopy and spectroscopy techniques to visualise these events and apply biocalorimetry to understand their metabolic activity when they are placed in these dual-species systems.
Our aim is to expand the current understanding of the initial stages of biofilm formation. Polymicrobial infections are also a contributing factor to the AMR problem particularly through the exchange of genetic information in mixed communities. Understanding how these bacteria interact from the early stages can help us fight this.
These species are also crucial in chronic wound infections and understanding early interactions and biofilm formation can help us build better study models to test new therapies. We can also gain more insights into how surfaces and materials need to be modified to prevent attachment and biofilm formation from happening.
Aside from my independent research, as part of my role, I supervise several PhD students, collaborate with industry to establish project partnerships, and organise outreach activities to share our work with the public.
Challenges for International Researchers
My challenges were mainly related to my nationality, as my academic career has been almost entirely outside my home country, finding positions where I am eligible for the funding can be challenging. Also moving from one country to another, the visa process can differ and be very complicated and expensive to navigate.
Many institutions have started recognising these barriers and the support provided to international hires has been steadily improving. Many funding bodies also do not restrict postdoctoral funding based on nationality anymore, though this is still present in many PhD grants.
I think many of the challenges we face are not specific to the biofilm community. Consideration for different economic backgrounds when creating new job opportunities is crucial. From experience, the costs of moving to new locations and visas for different countries can be a major factor impacting your ability to accept a position. While I have been fortunate to work in institutions that do provide reimbursement for certain moving and visa expenses, this is not universal.
I also think that often we create collaborative international studies, but they are generally limited to countries and institutions that have a very well-developed research culture, with a long track record. This makes it more difficult for institutions and researchers in low and middle-income countries to participate in the current ongoing research.
I think we need to acknowledge that just making a position/grant available to all backgrounds does not necessarily mean it is accessible for everyone. We need to create a more flexible support system to allow members of the biofilm community to navigate through the specific barriers they may have.
Building Expertise and Leadership
I have been fortunate throughout my career to have highly supportive and encouraging supervisors who have readily taken on mentorship roles. In particular, my PhD supervisors continue to provide guidance and advice whenever I need it, which has been invaluable in shaping my research journey.
Being part of the Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces, a core founder of the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC), has given me the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities to support my professional development. These have included chairing sessions at the annual NBIC summit in Cardiff, co-organising the NBIC stand at the British Science Festival in Liverpool in September 2025, and, more recently, preparing to participate as a Chair in the upcoming “Women in Science” online conference organised by NBIC.
My involvement with NBIC also extends to initiatives such as the Biofilm Regulatory Toolbox cost action and the Biofilm Alliance, which focus on developing standardized biofilm methods and regulatory guidelines. These are areas I have been passionate about since my PhD, and being part of these initiatives allows me to contribute to NBIC’s ongoing efforts to improve biofilm standards and regulations.
Many of the PhD students I work with are affiliated with the Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces and are enrolled in the NBIC Doctoral Training Centre in Biofilms Innovation, Technology, and Engineering (BITE) programme. They have been supported through various NBIC studentship funding calls. More recently, we secured a NBIC CTP PhD studentship in collaboration with Symcel, in which I will serve as a secondary supervisor starting in October 2025, further extending my mentoring and supervisory experience.
Expanding Expertise in Surface Science
I would like to continue my research as postdoctoral researcher and expand my knowledge into new techniques, particularly related to surface science which is a relatively new field to me. Ultimately, I would like to work towards the goal of becoming an independent researcher and establishing my own research group focused on biofilm research and the development of standard models.
Biofilms are becoming more recognised as the field expands, and we see just how much they impact our lives. If I think back to my undergraduate days there might have been one mention of biofilms throughout three years of my degree, now they can be a major focus in many courses. As the term biofilm becomes more recognisable this also opens up new opportunities for multi-disciplinary research and the development of new technologies to study them.
Find out more
If you are interested in learning more about Jontana’s work and would like to connect, please contact NBIC at nbic@biofilms.ac.uk
Dr Jontana Allkja, Research Coordinator and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Liverpool’s Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces.
