Dr William Davis Birch is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Michael Beverley Innovation Fellow at the University of Leeds, leading the development and commercialisation of MiGut - a continuous culture in vitro gut model he developed during his Mechanical Engineering PhD (completed 2023). Since completing his doctorate, William has established MicroMimetics, a commercially operated business unit within the University of Leeds offering specialist gut microbiome research services to industry and academia. MicroMimetics has attracted clients from food, nutrition, and health, and has been recognised for its innovative approach to bridging academic microbiome science with commercial product development. As a Michael Beverley Innovation Fellow, William is part of a University of Leeds programme nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship among early-career researchers.