Published: 22 April 2024
St George’s, University of London has appointed Professor Paul Heath as the new Director of the Institute for Infection and Immunity.
Professor Heath is a distinguished researcher with extensive experience in the field of paediatric infectious diseases and is Head of the Vaccine Institute at St George’s.
He started leading the research institute on 1st April, with Professor Rajko Reljic announced as the Deputy Director, whose research expertise reside in vaccine development and new immunotherapies for tuberculosis.
Their appointments come as Professor Julian Ma stepped down as Director at the end of March, after leading the Institute for Infection and Immunity since 2014.
In those 10 years, Professor Ma’s leadership, commitment and valuable insights have been a cornerstone to the success of the research institute from its conception. He has initiated the MRC-funded PhD programme (a partnership between St George’s and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), established public engagement activities within St George’s, and facilitated researchers from across the institute to provide valuable contributions as part of the national effort against Covid-19.
Professor Tom Harrison’s tenure as Deputy Director also finished at the end of March, and both will continue to drive their respective research interests forward.
"It is a real privilege to take on this role and I am delighted to be doing so with the support of Rajko as my Deputy. We recognise the huge amount of work that Julian and Tom have done over many years and the resultant success of the Institute. We will build on this success, focusing on our strengths as we face new challenges, including the City merger, and fully expect the Institute to continue to flourish.”
- Professor Paul Heath, Director of the Institute for Infection and Immunity -
Professor Jon Friedland, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for Julian and Tom’s dedication to the Institute of Infection and Immunity over the years, and I look forward to seeing the institute continue to thrive under Paul and Rajko’s leadership at a critical time for St George’s.”
Infection and Immunity research at St George’s