School of Infection & Immunity

A large lecture theatre filled with researchers and students attending the inaugural Sii Research Symposium. Attendees are seated in tiered rows facing presentation screens at the front of the room, where a speaker is delivering a talk. The modern auditorium is brightly lit and nearly full, reflecting strong engagement with the event.

Almost 200 staff and students came together on Monday, 8 June 2026 for the School of Infection & Immunity’s first-ever Research Symposium.

Hosted in the James McCune Smith Building, Sii invited four distinguished international academics to present their work and findings: Professor Jost Enninga, Professor Kathy McCoy, Professor Stephan Günther, and Professor Friedrich Frischknecht.

Organised by the Research Symposium Committee and chaired by Professor Andrew Roe, Director of Research & Innovation, the event was a celebration of research and offered the opportunity for networking across Sii and the wider MVLS community.

The day began with a warm welcome from Head of School Professor Julia Edgar, followed by the first speaker, Professor Enninga, discussing his research on Dynamics of host-pathogen interactions.

Next, Professor McCoy spoke on the subject of Microbiome-mediated modulation of immune function, while the afternoon session featured Professor Gunther's exploration on Lassa fever: From the bench to the bedside, and Professor Frischknecht's Imaging malaria parasite development in the mosquito and during transmission.

Three attendees chat beside a research poster during a poster session at the inaugural Sii Research Symposium. A presenter stands smiling next to the poster while discussing the research with two fellow attendees. The informal networking area includes café seating and refreshments, creating a welcoming environment for scientific discussion and collaboration.

A midday break provided attendees with an opportunity to engage with our event sponsors and view the posters presented across Sii, for which prizes were awarded in recognition of the high standard of work and effort showcased.

  • 1st place: Ainsley Beaton: PurA Dead Brilliant: Bigger Titres, Real Targets
  • 2nd place: Robert Whelan: Reproducible oral-gut microbiome signatures are linked to mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease
  • 3rd place: Larissa Camargo da Rosa: NRF2 activation by Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes prevents ferroptosis, inducing functional impairment of dendritic cells.

Warm congratulations to Ainsley, Robert, and Larissa on their achievement, as well as all the poster presenters for their outstanding work.

Dr Clare Harding, Co-deputy Director of Research and Innovation, closed the event by announcing the poster prize winners before guests were invited to attend a drinks reception back at the Sir Graeme Davies Building.

We would like to thank everyone involved in the planning and organisation of the Research Symposium, as well as all attendees for making it such a memorable and fantastic occasion.

First published: 19 June 2026

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