I am currently a postdoc based at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.

My previous position was located at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research where the primary focus of my research is the evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 variants and the phenotypic impacts of mutations to the virus genome. The position is associated with the G2P-UK National Virology Consortium. Prior to the position at the CVR, I undertook a three-year UKRI Innovation Fellowship, jointly funded by the MRC and BBSRC, based at the University of Glasgow. Broadly speaking, my interests lie in the relationships between pathogens and their hosts, the evolution of traits such as resistance, virulence and host preference, and how an understanding of these processes can be used to inform disease control and intervention strategies. I’m closely linked to another University of Glasgow research institute, the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, where my fellowship was based and am also a member of the multidisciplinary Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health.

Much of my research career has been focused on the evolution of influenza viruses. Having previously developed models of the relationship between genotype and antigenic phenotype, I next explored the biophysical structural underpinnings of such relationships and how structural information could improve predictions of lineage success during evolution. I am also interested in the genetic factors associated with the zoonotic potential of  avian influenza viruses and environmental factors that predict virus spread across landscapes.

Areas of Research

Antigenic evolution of influenza viruses

Epidemic spread across landscapes

Collaboration with the National Health Service

Antimicrobial resistance in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem

---