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A generous gift of £3.5 million from Lakshmi Mittal and his family has secured the future of a critical professorship in vaccinology at the University. The post, which is currently held by Professor Adrian Hill, will be known as the Lakshmi Mittal and Family Professorship of Vaccinology in recognition of this support.

Photo of Professor Adrian Hill © Photo by John Cairns
Professor Adrian Hill at the Jenner Institute

Professor Hill is the Director of the Oxford Jenner Institute, now the largest academic vaccine centre in the world. In 2014 Professor Hill led the first clinical trial of a vaccine aimed at controlling the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, thus kickstarting an initiative at the Jenner Institute to develop vaccines for outbreak pathogens. Recently this programme has facilitated a major effort to rapidly develop a COVID-19 vaccine, with Professor Hill acting as principal investigator for the Oxford trial. The vaccine is currently undergoing human trials in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa.

As well as leading the institute, Professor Hill’s own vaccine research programme has developed one of the most promising potential vaccines for malaria, which is currently in large-scale trials in sub-Saharan Africa.

Boosted by a further £1.75 million in matched funding from the University, the Mittal family’s gift has enabled the permanent endowment of the post. Not only will this allow Professor Hill to continue with his vital research, but will also help to ensure that Oxford remains at the forefront of vaccine development for generations to come.

The full story is available on the University of Oxford Development Office website

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