He is a Fellow of Trinity (FTCD) and the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath.), London, member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA) and winner of the RIA silver medal for microbiology. Professor Coleman has published over 240 articles in peer-reviewed international journals and book chapters. His research interests focus on translational microbiology including automated minimisation of infection risks in healthcare facilities from water networks, wastewater systems and medical devices, and the population biology, evolution, genomics and antibiotic resistance mechanisms of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VREs) by whole genome sequencing.