Professor Geoffrey Gobert is Professor of Molecular Parasitology at Queen’s University Belfast and Director of the Helminth Eco‑Health Hub Network. His research focuses on the fundamental biology of helminth parasites, disease progression, and the development of improved diagnostic tools. His interests span multiple disciplines, including the molecular detection of human and animal helminths, and more broadly, host–parasite interactions. Professor Gobert has published over 130 peer‑reviewed papers and holds a Scopus h‑index of 45. He has secured more than £3.6 million in research funding from sources including the NHMRC and ARC (Australia), and within the UK from the BBSRC, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Department for the Economy. A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Biology, he works closely with collaborators and stakeholders in low‑ and middle‑income countries to advance research aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3: Zero Hunger and Good Health and Well‑Being.

Professor Tom McNeilly, a qualified veterinary surgeon, is an immunologist and infectious disease biologist with expertise in translational aspects of ruminant immunology, including vaccine development and population-based studies on immune variation in livestock species. He has been involved in the development vaccines to control parasitic, viral and bacterial infections in both cattle and sheep, including those which have progressed to field evaluation or commercial use. His work has used advanced surgical and culture-based methods in ruminant species to define key host-pathogen interactions at the mucosal interface. He has published over 140 refereed publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

Nematode pathogens threaten livestock production and global food security.  Resistance-induced inefficacy is common amongst many of the current anti-nematode therapeutics and will render them obsolete in the not-so-distant future.  Sustained nematode pathogen control relies on the delivery of novel chemotherapeutics and/or development of resistance-breaking control strategies, and requires new/improved drug discovery tools. My research focusses on the identification and prioritisation of novel control targets within the neuropeptidergic system of nematodes, and the development of functional genomics platforms for control-target validation.

My research focuses on understanding the biology of parasitic nematodes for rational design of new drugs and vaccines. My laboratory combines molecular and functional studies on important veterinary nematodes and the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We are interested in identifying mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity and defining targets for novel therapeutic strategies. Past and current projects include i) Identification of protective nematode antigens for recombinant vaccine design, ii) Regulation of parasitic nematode development by small RNA molecules, microRNAs, iii) Influence of parasite and host small RNAs on immune outcome and iv) Development of reliable RNA interference (RNAi) in parasitic nematodes to directly determine gene function.

David Smith leads a cellular and molecular parasitology research group whose work covers a range of protozoan and helminth parasites. The overarching aim is to identify parasite molecules that underpin a successful infection and to exploit these for vaccine/therapeutic development. A major focus over recent years has been to develop physiologically relevant tissue culture models for different mucosal sites, derived from livestock primary stem cells (i.e. organoids). This includes stomach, small+large intestine, lung, liver and mammary. We’re now applying these to better understand the parasite molecules driving specific host responses (e.g. immunomodulators), as well as to test novel mucosal immunogens.

I lead a research team at the University of Liverpool working globally to address climate-related parasite and vector challenges. Together, we model how environmental change shapes parasite, vector and disease risk to guide sustainable livestock and wildlife health management. This has included developing dynamic risk assessment maps and veterinary decision support tools for nematodirosis in lambs in the UK and brainworm in reindeer in Norway, and modelling the evolution and management of drug resistance.

My research focuses on the fundamental biology of parasitic worms that cause debilitating disease in humans and pose a major threat to global animal health. By leveraging ‘omics’ resources alongside the development and application of parasite functional genomics tools, our work seeks to dissect key aspects of parasite biology, particularly parasite–host interactions. These approaches enable the identification and validation of novel drug targets to support sustainable worm control strategies. We exploit several nematode parasite models, including the gastrointestinal nematode Strongyloides ratti, which serves as a powerful platform for functional genomics studies.

Russ Morphew leads a protein biochemistry and proteomic research group specialising in helminth biology, proteomics and peptidomics, and protein–host interactions. His research uses high‑resolution mass spectrometry to investigate how parasite‑derived proteins, peptides and extracellular vesicles influence host invasion, colonisation, and host modulation. His work focuses primarily on economically important flatworm parasites such as liver flukes Fasciola hepatica, the rumen fluke Calicophoron daubneyi, and the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata. Recent projects include anthelmintic metabolism, the molecular basis of anthelmintic resistance, and molecular risk mapping, contributing to global priorities in sustainable agriculture and animal health.

Since 2011, Russell is Professor of Medical Parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Before, he has worked at the Natural History Museum, Imperial College London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His main focus is upon the (molecular) epidemiology of several neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and malaria, inclusive of the delivery of control and associated implementation research. A good example is his attention on female and male genital schistosomiasis. He often works in large-scale multidisciplinary consortia that benefit from long-term connections and collaborations with many African collaborators from Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, amongst others. Today, a unifying theme is adoption of One Health approaches, particularly upon studies of aquatic ecosystem health and sustainable management within its broadest sense. This includes animal parasitology with a growing interest in the health and conservation of various non-human primates, whilst being cognizant of impacts from agricultural systems and climate vulnerabilities. Russ currently serves on the WHO-Geneva STAG for NTDs and WHO-AFRO TAG for urogenital schistosomiasis and is Editor-in-Chief of CUP Parasitology.