Centre for Veterinary Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing (CVIM)

Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, Director of the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Deputy Head, Medical Sciences Division and an Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases

Helen McShane is currently Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, Director of the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Deputy Head, Medical Sciences Division and an Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases. 

Since 2001, Helen has lead a TB vaccine research group at the University of Oxford. She led the development of MVA85A, the first new TB vaccine candidate to enter efficacy testing. 

Current areas of focus include the development of controlled human mycobacterial challenge models, aerosol delivery of vaccines and immunomonitoring in clinical trials. She collaborates with several research groups across Africa in TB vaccine clinical trials. 

Most recently, Helen has been leading the coordination of COVID-19 drug trials within Oxford and nationally and is now leading a programme to establish a controlled human infection model with SARS CoV2 which will allow the evaluation of protective immunity.

Director of The Pirbright Institute

Prof Charleston obtained a BVetMed from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK in 1982. 

After a period of time in Large Animal Practice, Bryan studied for a Masters degree in Molecular Biology at University College London in 1988, then a PhD degree, as a Wellcome Trust Scholar, from the University of London, UK, in 1991. He then carried out postdoctoral research, as a Wellcome Trust Post-doctoral fellow, at the Royal Veterinary College and the Babraham Institute, Cambridge for three years.

He joined The Pirbright Institute (formally known as the Institute for Animal Health) in 1994 and focused on studies of the immune response to viral infections in cattle. 

In addition, he has provided advice and expertise on the design of infectious disease challenge models for a wide range of pathogens in important agricultural species.  His research group’s efforts are focused on understanding the immune response to foot-and–mouth disease virus in cattle to develop novel vaccines.

Head of Finance, The Pirbright Institute

Susan Williams has been Head of Finance at The Pirbright Institute since 2015. 

Prior to this, she worked in the property management industry for 17 years, 14 of which were in a managerial position. 

As Finance & IT manager, Susan was a member of the board, part of the Senior Membership Team and made key decisions regarding the strategic direction of the company. Her team produced over 100 service charge audited accounts per year, managed 200 bank accounts and produced consolidated company accounts. 

They were also heavily involved in running service charge budget and year end meetings for over 85 property estates across the South-East. 

Susan also played a key role in implementing a new accounting property management system and enabling the smooth relocation of the company on two occasions.

Managing Director, Bellows Consulting Ltd, Berkhamsted, UK

Nicki is an independent consultant. She is the Founder and Director of Bellows Consulting, guiding overarching strategy to translate research from the basic science environment into the clinic and towards the market. 

She is also an independent Non-Executive Director for the Biotech Growth Trust PLC, a Member of the CARB-X Advisory Board, and a reviewer for Innovate UK.

Previously, she was a senior member of the Innovations Division at the Wellcome Trust where she was responsible for the establishment, management and oversight of the Translation Fund, a £30M a year investment. 

Nicki has previously held positions at AstraZeneca, Global Prior Art, and Brown University. 

Lizelle joined the Institute in 2013 in the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation (KEC) team, which supports researchers to share their research, ideas, and expertise with external stakeholders in order to maximise the Institute’s impact. 

The KEC team has a wide range of duties, including supporting engagement with industry, managing the Institute’s intellectual property portfolio, and drafting and negotiating research contracts. 

Lizelle also manages Pirbright Training, which develops eLearning and face-to-face training course in the areas of disease control, high containment engineering, and biosafety. These training courses are intended to share the expertise we have Pirbright, thereby supporting skills development worldwide.

Prior to joining the Institute, Lizelle worked in the private sector, licensing in technologies like material and reagents from academic partners. She is also a trainer on the PraxisAuril Research Contracts course. 

Lizelle has qualifications in Biochemistry, Business Management and Intellectual Property Law.

Senior Progam Officer, Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Nick joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2014 as a Senior Program Officer within the Agricultural Development program.

 Nick is responsible for implementing the foundation’s strategy in animal health, including the development and deployment of products to combat neglected and emerging diseases of livestock, including zoonotic diseases that threaten public health. The foundation’s livestock investments support smallholder livestock keepers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in their efforts to sustainably raise healthy, productive animals.

Prior to joining the foundation, Nick was a Wellcome Trust Fellow with a focus on veterinary virology and immunology. 

He has held roles in veterinary practice, academia, vaccine development in industry, and in the UK’s regulatory agency for veterinary drugs and vaccines.

Nick holds a degree in veterinary medicine and earned his Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Edinburgh.

Executive Director Strategic Planning, Evidence & Engagement, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

Sarah studied for a degree in pharmacology and a PhD in chemoprevention. 

She has a wealth of experience of the UK research landscape having held senior roles in research council, university, and regional partnership settings. 

Early in her career she worked at the MRC in research programme management and strategic planning, before moving to Imperial College London. Here her role evolved to Programme Director of Research for both the Faculty of Medicine and partner NHS Trust. 

She has spent periods of time on secondment to HEFCE (now Research England) to assist with the Research Excellence Framework and with the University of Hong Kong.

Prior to joining BBSRC, Sarah was Director of the GW4 Alliance, building strategic, influential relationships with industry, policy makers, funders, and government to deliver collaborative, multidisciplinary projects at scale. 

As Executive Director at BBSRC, Sarah has responsibility for strategic planning, evidence and evaluation, policy, stakeholder engagement (including oversight of our Strategic Partner Universities and BBSRC strategically supported institute relationships) and the Institutes Assessment Exercise.

Senior Food and Agriculture Adviser in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Alan is a Senior Food and Agriculture Adviser in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), working in FCDO’s Research and Evidence Division. 

He has worked for the UK Government in agriculture development for over 30 years in Africa and Asia. 

His background is originally in Fisheries and Aquaculture, and he has PhD in Marine Biology and a Masters in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management. 

He worked on aquaculture development and inland fisheries management in Bangladesh for 8 years for DFID, including three years working in the Bangladesh Agriculture University. 

He has also worked with Government of Uganda on agriculture policy reform and for the Malaysian Government.

Process Development and Facility Lead, CVIM

Julian Seago is the CVIM Process Development and Facility Lead and responsible for delivery of the science activities within the Centre, across different projects, platforms and disease areas.

Julian obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in 2001, where he used D. melanogaster (a species of fly) as a model organism to study components of the protein complex called the exosome that mediates RNA degradation. 

After finishing a short post-doctoral position at Oxford working on a transcription factor of C. elegans (a type of threadworm), he continued to characterise exosome proteins in Japan as a Japan Society for Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellow. 

Upon returning to the UK, Julian worked on snake disintegrins (venom proteins) at St. Thomas’ Hospital before joining the research team at The Pirbright Institute in 2004. 

At the Institute his work has focused on three major animal pathogens, classical swine fever virus (CSFV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). He is particularly interested in the use of reverse genetics to manipulate viral genomes to investigate the virus life cycle and to produce better vaccines. 

Lizelle joined the Institute in 2013 in the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation (KEC) team, which supports researchers to share their research, ideas, and expertise with external stakeholders in order to maximise the Institute’s impact. 

The KEC team has a wide range of duties, including supporting engagement with industry, managing the Institute’s intellectual property portfolio, and drafting and negotiating research contracts. 

Lizelle also manages Pirbright Training, which develops eLearning and face-to-face training course in the areas of disease control, high containment engineering, and biosafety. These training courses are intended to share the expertise we have Pirbright, thereby supporting skills development worldwide.

Prior to joining the Institute, Lizelle worked in the private sector, licensing in technologies like material and reagents from academic partners. She is also a trainer on the PraxisAuril Research Contracts course. 

Lizelle has qualifications in Biochemistry, Business Management and Intellectual Property Law.

Independent Consultant

David qualified as a veterinary surgeon and worked in general veterinary practice before obtaining postgraduate degrees in immunology from the Universities of Birmingham and London. 

He then embarked on a research career in exotic viral diseases of livestock culminating as Head of the Pirbright Laboratory when it was part of the Institute for Animal Health. 

David subsequently moved into the regulatory area, working at the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in the UK before moving to the European Medicines Agency in charge of the Veterinary Medicines Division.

During his career he has published on epizootic diseases of livestock and on regulatory issues, particularly in relation to veterinary vaccines. 

Since leaving the EMA in 2018, David provides independent advice to governmental and not-for-profit organisations in relation to regulation of veterinary medicines with a particular interest in promoting the availability of vaccines against epizootic diseases of animals.

Chief Executive Officer at GALVmed

Dr Carolin Schumacher is the Chief Executive Officer at GALVmed since November 2018. 

GALVmed’s ambition is to make a significant contribution to the economic development of communities in Africa and South Asia, through improvements in livestock production. The CEO leads and develops the activity of GALVmed in line with its mission, vision and accountability. 

Carolin is a veterinarian with a Doctorate degree in Veterinary Virology and Post-graduate training in negotiation, finance, leadership, team development, communication and crisis management. 

She has 25+ years of experience delivering to market innovative veterinary medicines and solutions that create value for animals, customers, the private sector and society at large. 

Professor of Vaccinology at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, and Deputy Executive Director of the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kenya

Professor George Warimwe is Professor of Vaccinology at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, and Deputy Executive Director of the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kenya. 

His works focuses on viral infections that are transmitted between humans and animals in Africa and vaccine development for their control. While many of these viruses were first discovered in Africa, very little is known regarding their distribution, associated disease burden and their viral genetic diversity in the continent.

Among other projects, Professor’s Warimwe’s research team are at the forefront of addressing the global shortage in Yellow Fever vaccine supply, work which may have a major impact on the number of doses that can be given based on the current global stock of YF vaccine and the number of doses that are produced for future use. 

His recent work on COVID-19 serology in Kenya has informed decisions on the national pandemic response and remains one of the most comprehensive COVID-19 seroepidemiological programmes in Africa to date.

Process Development and Facility Lead, CVIM

Julian Seago is the CVIM Process Development and Facility Lead and responsible for delivery of the science activities within the Centre, across different projects, platforms and disease areas.

Julian obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in 2001, where he used D. melanogaster (a species of fly) as a model organism to study components of the protein complex called the exosome that mediates RNA degradation. 

After finishing a short post-doctoral position at Oxford working on a transcription factor of C. elegans (a type of threadworm), he continued to characterise exosome proteins in Japan as a Japan Society for Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellow.

 Upon returning to the UK, Julian worked on snake disintegrins (venom proteins) at St. Thomas’ Hospital before joining the research team at The Pirbright Institute in 2004. 

At the Institute his work has focused on three major animal pathogens, classical swine fever virus (CSFV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). 

He is particularly interested in the use of reverse genetics to manipulate viral genomes to investigate the virus life cycle and to produce better vaccines. 

Dr Musa Mulongo leads the Vaccine and Diagnostics team at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi. He also coordinates the Transforming Animal Health Services & Solutions for LMICs (TAHSSL) Platform at ILRI. 

TAHSSL is a tripartite (ILRI, GALVmed & ClinGlobal) Research & Development platform that focuses on translation and commercialization of promising livestock vaccines and diagnostics for low-and-middle income (LMIC) countries.

Previously, Musa was a Senior Program Specialist with the Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund (LVIF) at the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa Canada. In this role, he was responsible for the design and delivery of cutting-edge vaccine discovery and development projects with multiple international partnerships.

Before joining IDRC, Musa completed two post-doctoral research fellowships at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization - International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) in Saskatchewan, Canada and Wellcome Trust Research Program in Kilifi, Kenya.

Musa holds a PhD in Immunology & Vaccine Development from the Royal Veterinary College of the University of London (UK) and a Master of Science, also in Immunology, from Kenyatta University in Kenya. 

Advisor to the National Dairy Development Board of India

Dr Villuppanoor Alwar Srinivasan, a postgraduate in Veterinary microbiology obtained his PhD in Veterinary Virology at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute. 

Srini is the former Executive Director and Research Director of Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) where he worked for 34 years and also as an Advisor at the National Dairy Development Board for 10 years.

Srini was instrumental in the development of various livestock and companion animal vaccines, thus changing the image of IIL from a single-product (foot-and-mouth disease vaccine) company to a leading veterinary vaccine manufacturing company in India. 

He established a human rabies vaccine plant as a greenfield project which helped IIL to launch human rabies vaccine to the Indian market two decades ago. This initiative paved a way for IIL to enter the human vaccine market. Srini has also published many scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Process Development and Facility Lead, CVIM

Julian Seago is the CVIM Process Development and Facility Lead and responsible for delivery of the science activities within the Centre, across different projects, platforms and disease areas.

Julian obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in 2001, where he used D. melanogaster (a species of fly) as a model organism to study components of the protein complex called the exosome that mediates RNA degradation. 

After finishing a short post-doctoral position at Oxford working on a transcription factor of C. elegans (a type of threadworm), he continued to characterise exosome proteins in Japan as a Japan Society for Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellow. 

Upon returning to the UK, Julian worked on snake disintegrins (venom proteins) at St. Thomas’ Hospital before joining the research team at The Pirbright Institute in 2004. 

At the Institute his work has focused on three major animal pathogens, classical swine fever virus (CSFV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). He is particularly interested in the use of reverse genetics to manipulate viral genomes to investigate the virus life cycle and to produce better vaccines. 

Quality Assurance Associate

Daniel has always had a great interest in science and technology, having studied Biology at The University of Kent he proceeded to spend a year in an engineering laboratory in Southern California, working on Near-InfraRed spectrometers performing Quality Control testing and calibration. 

Returning to the UK, he moved into healthcare diagnostics, gaining experience setting up new laboratories, leading teams of scientists, and maintaining Quality Management System measures to ISO15189. 

Progressing into a Quality Control role in a microchemistry biotech, he enjoyed conducting quality investigations on Point-of-Care diagnostic medical devices to support continuous improvement in product design, manufacturing, Quality Control methods, and the Quality Management System. 

As Quality Assurance Associate at Pirbright, he is excited to be involved in the CVIM facility and to have the opportunity to support the needs of the team through development, implementation and maintenance of the CVIM Quality Management System to GLP and GMP regulation – providing effective QA oversight as CVIM’s projects and the facility itself develop and grow. 

Daniel joined the CVIM team as a Quality Assurance Associate in March 2023.

Principal Scientist

After graduating from the University of Surrey with a BSc in Medical Microbiology, Ben worked in the Quality control, Product Development and Quality assurance departments at Oxoid, a microbial diagnostic GMP subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific.

From there, Ben moved on to human vaccine development for the biotechnology company, Emergent BioSolutions, where he was initially involved in the analytical development of Vivotif®, an FDA licensed live attenuated bacterial vaccine against Typhoid fever, before transferring to the virology department to contribute to the analytical and process development of a viral vectored platform.

Having gained over 10 years GLP industrial experience, Ben successfully obtained a PhD in Molecular Virology from The Pirbright Institute, where his project involved characterisation of a classical swine fever virus (CSFV) protein. 

Ben then completed several postdoctoral projects, working on a range of viruses that included porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and Marek’s disease virus (MDV). This work involved characterising virus virulence and immune evasion, producing recombinant cell lines and identifying suitable viral strains for improved vaccine production, and allowed Ben to contribute to the development and use of reverse genetic platforms and early-stage vaccine invention.

Ben joined the CVIM team as a Senior Scientist in February 2023. 

Principal Scientist

Kay Childs graduated with a BSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Bath before completing her PhD in Professor Steve Goodbourn’s laboratory at St George’s, University of London in 2001. Her PhD work involved the discovery of two novel proteins that act as co-factors for the transcription factor IRF-2. 

Kay has more than 20 years research experience studying the molecular biology of RNA viruses and their interactions with the host interferon response. This included the identification of a key cellular receptor for viral RNA that triggers the production of interferon and activation of the host antiviral response. Kay’s work showed that this receptor is targeted by a conserved paramyxovirus protein which blocks its function.

Kay joined the Pirbright Institute in 2020 and began working on foot-and-mouth disease virus vaccine development, and the ability of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus to disrupt the interferon response. 

Kay joined the CVIM team as Senior Scientist in September 2022.

Senior Scientist

Mai graduated with a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Reading, where she then obtained her PhD in Virology in Professor Ian Jones’ laboratory. Mai’s PhD involved developing baculovirus expression of virus-like-particles (VLP) in insect cells as a platform for the production of poliovirus vaccines. 

Following the completion of her PhD in 2019, she continued to work on VLP production but as a next generation vaccine to protect against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) of livestock. 

In 2020, Mai began working for contract research organisations (CROs), using her research skills to focus on upstream processes such as protein production in insect cells and antigen quality control. 

Mai joined the CVIM team as a Scientist in April 2023. 

Senior Scientist 

Harvey started his career at Oxford Biomedica, an innovation-lead CDMO specialising in viral vector cell and gene therapy as well as vaccine products. He developed and scaled-up mammalian suspension and perfusion upstream production processes at a variety of scales, in addition to downstream purification modalities including chromatography and TFF. 

Harvey went on to work at Kings College London, developing and scaling up GMP processes (USP+DSP) for viral vector cell and gene therapy products.

Harvey joined CVIM as a Senior Scientist in June 2024.

Process Scientist

Yongjie obtained a Master of Science degree from Sichuan Agricultural University, China in 2004, where she carried out a study on agrobacterium mediated gene transformation and particle bombardment transformation in Orchids. 

She then worked in a company selling HLA genotyping testing kits as a technician before moving to the UK.

Yongjie joined The Pirbright Institute in 2006, where she worked in the Disinfectant Testing group as a Biosafety Assistant to 2012, up to the ISO17025 standard. She then worked as Biosafety adviser in APHA for a year. 

In 2016, Yongjie returned to The Pirbright Institute, working in the Molecular Virology group for nearly 6 years on several projects aimed at improving foot-and-mouth (FMDV) disease vaccines for East Africa. 

Yongjie joined the CVIM team as a Scientist in September 2022.

Process Scientist

Astrid holds an MRes in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Research from King’s College London. 

After working as a R&D Laboratory Technician for the biotechnology company Touchlight, she joined Dr Kourosh Ebrahimi’s laboratory to discover, express, and purify new antiviral iron-sulphur proteins. Her studies focused on viperin-like radical-Sulphur-AdenosylMethionine (radical-SAM) enzymes, known to catalyse the production of different antiviral nucleotide analogues and inhibit the replication of a broad range of DNA and RNA viruses. 

Astrid’s research experience includes various bioinformatics, molecular biology, cell biology, and computational techniques. 

As a Medical Laboratory Assistant within the Clinical Trials Department at The Doctors Laboratory, she developed strong GLP and GCP skills. 

Astrid joined CVIM in July 2024.

Scientist 

Liping obtained a Master degree in 2014 from Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, China, where she spent 3 years on the swine influenza virus.

Before moving to PhD study in University of Copenhagen, Liping worked for 1 year on the recombinant Marek’s disease vaccine development in Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry of Sciences. Her PhD work involved the resistance and persisters of Staphylococcus aureus.

After that, Liping did the postdoctoral project on the construction of Trex293 cell line for GMP manufacturing in Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health.

Liping joined the Pirbright Institute in December 2022 working on the recombinant HVT-vectored vaccine development and then joined the CVIM team in January 2024.