Dr Bart Eijkelkamp is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Flinders University and investigates how the host nutritional status shapes pathogen fitness and virulence at the host–pathogen interface. His team focuses on dietary lipids and antimicrobial free fatty acids, asking how pathogens ‘make or take’ distinct fatty acids, remodel membranes, and exploit host lipid pools during infection. Combining infection models with lipid biology and molecular microbiology, the lab maps niche-specific microbe–lipid interactions and tests whether shifting the host fatty-acid composition can promote bacterial clearance and enhance antibiotic efficacy. Bart trained in biomolecular sciences (MSc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and completed a PhD in molecular microbiology at Flinders (2012), before postdoctoral work at the University of Adelaide and returning to Flinders in 2019. Supported by a Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) Amplify Activity Award, he founded The Lipid Network and serves as its President; this global platform launched in April 2026.