Dr. Peter Openshaw

Biography

Peter Openshaw is a respiratory physician and mucosal immunologist, focusing on how the immune system protects against viral infections and the diseases they cause. His research began in the mid-1980s with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza, leading to a significant Wellcome Trust-funded collaboration known as the Mechanisms of Severe Acute Influenza Consortium (MOSAIC), which operated between 2009 and 2012. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, he co-led the ISARIC4C consortium, which focused on recruiting hospitalized cases in the UK. Openshaw established studies involving human experimental infection volunteers in 2008, launching the MRC-funded HIC-Vac consortium to promote the use of such infections to accelerate vaccine development against high-impact pathogens. He served as President of the British Society for Immunology from 2013 to 2018 and played a vital role in several committees addressing emerging respiratory threats and COVID-19. His notable awards include the Chanock Memorial Award for his contributions to RSV research and the EFIS Metchnikoff-Ehrlich medal in immunology. He became an Honorary Lifetime Member of the British Society for Immunology in 2019 and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2022 for his services to medicine and immunology. With a career marked by significant publications and groundbreaking research, Openshaw is currently the Theme Lead in Respiratory Disease Infection at the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre after serving as Head of the Respiratory Infections Section at the National Heart and Lung Institute.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards