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Oxford's contribution to infectious disease has been enormous. Penicillin and the related cephalosporin antibiotics were discovered and developed here. More recently Oxford has played a key role in the introduction of artemisinin-related drugs for malaria and in the development of new vaccines for bacterial meningitis and Ebola.

Oxford is rated the top University in the UK in the area of Infection and Immunity. It has a strong core of microbiological expertise ranging from fundamental through to translational research and clinical trials. Areas of strength in basic research include microbial structure-function relationships, aspects of viral, bacterial and parasite pathogenesis, and interaction of pathogens with the immune system including immune evasion strategies. Areas of strength in translational research include study of the mucosal microbiota in health and disease, development of vaccines against parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens and screening for novel drugs against viral infections. Much translation research is done in Oxford’s Tropical Medicine research units in Africa and Asia. Microbiology research is performed in a number of University Departments including the Nuffield Department of Medicine, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Paediatrics and Biochemistry. Institutes include the Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine, the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, the Jenner Institute and the Institute for Vaccine Design.

Researchers in Oxford form part of the MRC Centre for Genomics and Global Health, an international collaboration that integrates genomic and population genetic data with clinical and epidemiological data to understand and combat globally important infectious diseases.

Supervisors in Microbiology, Infection and Tropical Medicine


Sarah Atkinson

Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Paediatrics and Paediatric ...

Ben Berks

Professor of Biochemistry

Angela Brueggemann

IDEU Director and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Chris Butler

Professor of Primary Care

Climent Casals-Pascual

Alfredo Castello Palomares

Posttranscriptional networks in infection

Tao Dong

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3545-3758

Lucy Dorrell

Susan Dunachie

Mike English

David Eyre

Professor of Infectious Diseases

John Frater

Philip Goulder

Professor of Immunology

Maria Harkiolaki

Principal Beamline Scientist

Matthew Higgins

Professor of Molecular Parisitology

Adrian Hill

Lakshmi Mittal and Family Professorship of Vaccinology

Deirdre Hollingsworth

Mark Howarth

Professor of Protein Nanotechnology

Astrid Iversen

Professor of Virology and Immunology

David Jackson

Professor of Human Immunology

Dominic Kelly

BRC Consultant in Paediatrics and Vaccinology.

Colin Kleanthous

Iveagh Professor of Microbial Biochemistry

Paul Klenerman

Sidney Truelove Professor of Gastroenterology

Teresa Lambe

Professor of Vaccinology & Immunology, Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology

Philippa Matthews

Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology

Rose McGready

Paul Newton

Rafael Perera

Director Medical Statistics and Director of Graduate Studies

Frances Platt

Head of Department

Sir Andrew Pollard

Ashall Professor of Infection & Immunity

Oliver Pybus

Professor of Evolution & Infectious Disease

Jan Rehwinkel

Professor of Innate Immunology

David Roberts

Professor of Haematology

Christine S. Rollier

Associate Professor in Vaccinology

Sarah L Rowland-Jones

Jason Schnell

Associate Professor

Trevor Sharp

Professor of Neuropharmacology

Peter Simmonds

Professor of Virology

Adrian Smith

Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Studies and Honorary Consultant in ...

Matthew Snape

Professor in Paediatrics and Vaccinology

Alex Spencer

Dr, Senior Immunologist and Insectary Manager

Guy Thwaites

Sarah Tonkin-Crine

Associate Professor & Health Psychologist

Alain Townsend

Emeritus Professor of Molecular Immunology

Holm Uhlig

Professor of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Group Head / PI and Hon Consultant ...

Stephan Uphoff

Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow

John Vakonakis

Associate Professor

Richard Wade-Martins

Professor of Molecular Neuroscience

Kay Wang

Senior Clinical Research Fellow

Matthew Wood

Professor of Neuroscience

Nicole Zitzmann

Professor of Virology & Director of Glycobiology Inst