Rate My Professor Judith Bateup

Dr Judith Bateup is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago, a position she has held since her appointment in 1994. She earned her BSc (Hons) and PhD from the University of Otago. Her doctoral research, detailed in her 1994 thesis titled "The production of bile salt hydrolase by Lactobacillus species," laid the foundation for her subsequent investigations into the microbiology of the gastrointestinal tract. Bateup's research specializations include the study of lactobacilli in the normal microflora of animal species, the production of the enzyme bile salt hydrolase and its effects on bacterial growth, and the application of molecular techniques such as ribotyping to examine lactobacilli in the gastrointestinal tract of swine. Key publications from her research career encompass "Influence of Different Functional Elements of Plasmid pGT232 on Maintenance of Recombinant Plasmids in Lactobacillus reuteri Populations In Vitro and In Vivo" published in Applied & Environmental Microbiology in 1999, "Molecular analysis of the composition of Lactobacillus populations inhabiting the stomach and caecum of pigs" in Microbial Ecology in Health & Disease in 1998, and "Effect of sodium taurocholate on the in vitro growth of lactobacilli" in Microbial Ecology in 1997.

In her teaching role, Dr Bateup has convened significant courses such as MICR221 Microbes to Medicine for Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science students and PHCY219 Microbiology and Immunology for Bachelor of Pharmacy students. Beyond the classroom, she has made substantial contributions to science education through extensive outreach programs. Over two decades, she has developed hands-on microbiology workshops and resource packs distributed nationwide and to the Cook Islands, hosted hundreds of school groups, conducted teacher workshops, supported rural schools, judged science fairs, and served on committees including the convener of Hands-On at Otago and the organising committee of the International Science Festival. Her dedication to fostering microbiology education from secondary school level has been recognized with prestigious awards: the 2016 Ako Aotearoa Award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching, membership in the Ako Aotearoa Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence, the 2018 Cranwell Medal from the New Zealand Association of Scientists for excellence in science communication, and election as a Companion of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2019 for her 20-year service to science.