Prof. Venugopal Nair obtained his Veterinary Science degree and PhD in Veterinary Medicine from India. He started his research career in Virology at Oxford University, before joining the Pirbright Institute where he has carried out research on avian oncogenic viruses for over 30 years. Prof. Nair’s expertise is in the area of avian viral diseases, with special interest in evolution of virus virulence and the potential role of vaccines in driving virulence. Currently working as Emeritus Scientist at Pirbright, Prof. Nair has published over 200 research papers, textbooks/chapters. In recognition of his contributions to science he was awarded Order of British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty Late Queen Elizabeth in 2015.

Prof. Nair is also a Visiting Professor in Avian Virology at Oxford University Department of Biology, Jenner Investigator at the Jenner Institute, Oxford and is Board Member of the Jenner Vaccine Foundation. Prof. Nair also led the UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases (CERAD), a research network of several academic institutions in the UK and China focusing on research into avian viral diseases in the two countries.