Prof Ian Brown OBE

Ian provides a broad range of disease consultancy at both international and national level to a wide range of stakeholders on all the aforementioned diseases, specialising in science evidence and laboratory application as directly relevant to disease control.

His specific research interests include the epidemiology, vaccination, pathogenicity, transmission and infection dynamics in relation to the control of influenza in animal hosts including zoonotic threat. He works closely with UK poultry industry and government (all administrations) providing support and advice.

He is a founder member of the OFFLU Laboratory Network and is currently chairperson of the OFFLU steering committee. He has undertaken country specific missions to advise on the control of HPAI. Recently, he led the implementation of the AIM (Avian Influenza Monitoring) programme through OFFLU to provide all stakeholders with science information to guide H5 vaccine strain selection.

Ian gained his PhD on ‘Epizootiology of influenza in pigs in Great Britain’. He has published over 250 peer review papers and 17 book chapters principally on animal influenza. He currently leads a UK research consortia of eight partners researching high impact science on animal influenza. Ian holds a visiting Professorship position in Avian Virology at the University of Nottingham and Honorary Professorship in Pathobiology and Population Sciences with Royal Veterinary College, University of London.

Previously, he worked as Head of Virology and subsequently as Director of Science at APHA which included being Director of WOAH/FAO (also EURL until Brexit) International Reference Laboratories for Avian Influenza, Newcastle Disease and Swine Influenza.