Academy of Medical Sciences elects eight Oxford researchers as new Fellows

The new Fellows have been elected to the Academy in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science, cutting edge research discoveries, and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.

This year Fellows were chosen from 365 candidates and will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Wednesday 18 September 2024.

The new Fellows are:

Professor Ivan Ahel FMedSci, E.P.A. Professor of Chemical Pathology at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. He is a member of EMBO and was awarded the Biochemical Society GlaxoSmithKline Award in 2022.

Professor Constantin Coussios FMedSci, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Statutory Chair of Biomedical Engineering and Professorial Fellow of Magdalen College.

Professor Catherine Harmer FMedSci, Associate Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Research Fellow at Corpus Christi College.

Professor Julian Knight FMedSci, Professor of Genomic Medicine at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, Principal Investigator, Deputy Director of the Centre for Human Genetics, Honorary Consultant Physician, Tutor and Fellow at Merton College, Director of the Medical Sciences Division Graduate School, Genomic Medicine Theme Lead at the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Research Director of the Central and South NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliance.

Professor Teresa Lambe OBE FMedSci, Calleva Head of Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, and Principal Investigator at the Pandemic Sciences Institute.

Professor Lambe said: ‘It is a huge honour to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. I have been fortunate to work with incredibly talented colleagues over the course of my career both in the UK and worldwide, and I’m incredibly proud that this work has been recognised.’

Professor Lambe’s research focuses on delineating the protective immune response post infection and using these findings to rationally design vaccination strategies to prevent disease. Her group is currently developing and testing vaccines against a number of outbreak pathogens including Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus, Marburg virus and Coronaviruses. A number of these vaccines have progressed to clinical trial assessment, including vaccines against Ebola and Marburg virus.

Professor Jane McKeating FMedSci, Professor of Molecular Virology at the Nuffield Department of Medicine.

Professor McKeating said: ‘Delighted to be nominated and for our research to be recognised! A big thanks to current and ex-team members who have made scientific discovery a joy.’

Professor Adam Mead FMedSci, Professor of Haematology at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Consultant Physician and CRUK Senior Cancer Research Fellow.

Professor Mead said: 'I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Credit goes to the wonderful mentors as well as the talented scientists and clinicians I have had the pleasure to work with over the years. I feel very lucky to be able to work at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford which is an immensely enjoyable and motivating environment to study the molecular basis of blood diseases.'

Adam Mead is a Professor of Haematology at the University of Oxford and leads a team of researchers at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine focused on a group of blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). These conditions affect over 40,000 people in the UK alone, causing intractable symptoms, blood clots and increased risk of leukaemia. Professor Mead also oversees patient care and clinical trials in this area at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Mead and his team are investigating how normal blood cell production becomes disrupted during the development of MPN, with the ultimate goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment of these largely incurable forms of blood cancer. His laboratory have pioneered new techniques to analyse the genetic information contained within individual cancer cells, providing multiple key conceptual advances in the field.

Professor Krina Zondervan FMedSci, Head of Department at the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, Professor of Reproductive & Genomic Epidemiology, Co-Director Endometriosis Care Centre and Fellow, St Edmund Hall.

Professor Andrew Morris PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: ‘It is an honour to welcome these brilliant minds to our Fellowship. Our new Fellows lead pioneering work in biomedical research and are driving remarkable improvements in healthcare. We look forward to working with them, and learning from them, in our quest to foster an open and progressive research environment that improves the health of people everywhere through excellence in medical science.'