Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
- Professor of Infectious Diseases
- Div of Infection & Immunity
- Faculty of Medical Sciences
I studied Medicine at Guy's Hospital followed by postgraduate training in General Medicine at the National Hospital at Queen Square, Royal Brompton Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital and Newham General Hospotal. I then undertook an MRC Research
Training Fellowship and completed a PhD in Immunology at Imperial College London, focussing on the role of acute phase responses in host defence against infection, under the supervision of Professor Jon Cohen and Professor Mark Pepys. I completed specialist training in Infectious Diseases in posts at University College London Hospitals, Northwick Park Hospital and Hammersmith Hospital before returning to laboratory science with a
Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship at UCL leading to my current research post. In addition, I participate in clinical services at UCLH as an Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases and
Acute Medicine.
My group investigate host-pathogen interactions in order to increase our mechanistic
understanding of protective and pathogenic immune responses in infectious
diseases, and inform the development of novel therapies or approaches for patient
stratification. We particularly focus on innate immunity by modelling
host-pathogen interactions in human macrophages. Although macrophages are
important sentinels of the immune system, which can sense and respond to
danger, restrict pathogens by intracellular killing pathways and regulate
wide-ranging immune responses, they also host a number of important human
pathogens such as HIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Hence we are interested in the mechanisms by which these pathogens can either
evade host defence mechanisms in macrophages or stimulate harmful immune
responses. Our work extends from in vitro laboratory models to challenge
experiments in humans and sampling of tissues at the site of disease in order
to understand host-pathogen interactions in vivo. In view of the multivariate
complexity of the immune response in infectious diseases, we use
genome‑wide transcriptional profiling strategies in order to obtain a systems
level view together with detailed molecular resolution. Within the Division of
Infection & Immunity at UCL, we work closely with Professor Benny Chain’s
group who focus on developing computational approaches to interrogate high
dimensional data in immunology.
I am programme director for the intercalated BSc in Immunology and Cell Pathology. I also teach within the MSc programme in Infection and Immunity, Phase 2 Medicine lecture programme and within the UCL MB/PhD programme.
01-OCT-2010 | Clinical Senior Lecturer | Division of Infection & Immunity | University College London, United Kingdom |
01-OCT-2005 – 30-SEP-2010 | Wellcome Trust Clinical Intermediate Fellow | Infection & Immunity | University College London, United Kingdom |
2011 | Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians | Royal College of Physicians | |
2003 | Doctor of Philosophy | Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine | |
1998 | Member of the Royal College of Physicians | Royal College of Physicians | |
1995 | Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery | United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St.. Thomas's Hospitals | |
1992 | Bachelor of Science (Honours) | United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St.. Thomas's Hospitals |