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RVC professor elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Professor Oliver Pybus' work aims to understand how evolutionary and ecological processes interact in natural populations.

Professor Oliver Pybus' work has contributed significantly to the COVID-19 response. 

Professor Oliver Pybus, vice-principal for research and innovation at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), has received the highest recognition of scientific achievement in the UK, being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship comprising some of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth. Members are elected for life through a peer-review process based on excellence in science. 

Professor Pybus' work aims to understand how evolutionary and ecological processes interact in natural populations. His career has seen him develop tools for inferring population dynamics from gene sequences  and show how analysis of pathogen genomes can provide new insights into virus epidemic history and transmission. 

Professor Pybus' work has also contributed significantly to the COVID-19 response - with the role of virus genomics made feasible in part by ideas he and colleagues developed and applied to other viruses over the previous 20 years. 

His published work includes a high-profile analysis of the mass introduction of COVID-19 into the UK via international travel and the development of the lineage naming scheme (B.1.1.7, BA.1 etc...), helping inform public health and public discourse throughout the pandemic. 

Professor Pybus also holds a Professorship in Evolution and Infectious Disease at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow of New College, Oxford. He was awarded the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London in 2009 and the Mary Lyon Medal of the Genetics Society in 2019. 

Professor Pybus said: “It is a great honour to be elected a Royal Society Fellow, and humbling to join scientists past and present who inspired and influenced me as a student. I hope to use my position to better support and mentor the researchers of the future. Modern science is a team effort and I am deeply grateful to my collaborators and colleagues, without whom my work would not have been possible.”

Professor Stuart Reid CBE, President and Principal of the RVC, added: “Recognition by the Royal Society is amongst the very highest scientific accolades internationally and I am delighted for Oliver. He brings distinction to himself, his collaborators and his discipline and I am grateful to count him a senior colleague in the leadership team here at the Royal Veterinary College.”  

Image (C) RVC.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.