Employment History:
Research Assistant, Department of Microbiology, University of Wales, Cardiff (1981-1982); Research Fellow, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Aberdeen (1985-1988); Research Fellow, Department of Microbiology, University of Wales, Cardiff (1988-1989); Higher Scientific Officer, Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen (1989-1992); Research and Teaching Microbiologist, Veterinary Sciences Division, Scottish Agricultural College, Aberdeen (1992-2005). Currently self-employed in consultancy and research.

Published Works:
Mr. Hillman has written many articles on enzymes, probiotics, yeasts, microbial status of the pig and its environment under different housing and feeding systems. He has also written an anthology, 'Tales from the Asylum, Year 1.' He has been invited to lecture at Beijing and a number of United Kingdom Scientific Societies. Recent papers include: Newbold, C.J. and Hillman, K. (2005) Feed supplements: Enzymes, Probiotics, Yeasts. In: Encyclopedia of Animal Science, (eds. W. Pond and A. Bell) Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 376-378; Chase-Topping, M.E., Gunn, G., Strachan, W.D.,Edwards, S.A., Smith, W.J., Hillman, K., Stefopoulou, S.N. and Thomson, J.R. (2007) Epidemiology of porcine non-specific colitis on Scottish farms. The Veterinary Journal 173: 353-360; and Cross, D.E., McDevitt, R.M., Hillman, K. and Acamovic, T. (2007) The effect of herbs and their associated essential oils on performance, dietary digestibility and gut microflora in chickens from 7 to 28 days of age. British Poultry Science 48: 496-506.

Public Speaking Experience:

Why He is an Expert:
Mr. Hillman has immersed himself in the field and refuses to stay within the confines of a laboratory. “There is a tendency these days for researchers in many fields to stay [inside] and interact as little as possible with the outside world,” he states. “I visit farms; I collect and handle the samples.” Since he oftentimes knows where the samples came from and the conditions that created them, he can better interpret the analysis.

Best Advice:
“It won’t be easy. You need a strong stomach and an attenuated sense of smell. Modern courses tend to concentrate on the biochemical/genetic aspects of microbiological research because that’s where the kudos lies. It’s not where the money lies. If you want to keep on earning, you have to get your hands dirty. You have to be prepared to deal with things nobody else will touch. Then, instead of being one of many researchers within a field, you become one of only a few.”

Passionate about:
“Work and writing. Aside from my work, I write short stories and articles and have been working on a few novels. I doubt these will make me rich, but I have had some success with the short stories, and I hope to see the novels in print one day.”

Biography Excerpt:
Some jobs aren’t for everyone. Kevin Hillman, a consultant microbiologist, is the owner of Gutbugs – a research operation specializing in animal and human intestinal microbiology. His experiments and investigations are conducted principally in vitro, using intestinal simulations that he developed so they don’t have to use real animals.

     

Cambridge Who's Who: What prompted you to pursue work in this field?  
KEVIN HILLMAN :  My honors project, as an undergraduate, was on the intestinal microflora of the earthworm. From there, I took up a Ph.D. on the protozoa that live in the rumen of cattle and sheep. I think it was more a case of being willing to deal with things others didn’t want to touch rather than any kind of prompting. The bonus is that there’s not much competition for the kind of work I do.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your career?
Finding cures for intestinal diseases by applying non-toxic treatments. So far, I have found treatments that work with current medical treatments to cure intestinal diseases more rapidly. As yet, I don’t have any treatment that works better than say, an antibiotic, when applied alone. But that’s the eventual aim here.

When you defend the need for more funding to conduct your research, what contributions to either basic science research or to clinical applications do you cite?
New funding comes from new ideas rather than from previous work. However, I can cite the success I’ve had with intestinal simulations – cheaper and far less controversial than animal experiments – and with the development of probiotics. For new funding, I’d cite current problems. Intestinal diseases such as Salmonella and Campylobacter aren’t usually deadly but they result in considerable financial losses due to time off work. Prevention or a rapid recovery from these diseases saves money. Prevention and treatment of more serious infections saves lives.