Miranda de Graaf is a postdoctoral researcher in the Norovirus research group at the Erasmus Medical Center of Rotterdam.

We were fortunate that Miranda visited the CVR and delivered a presentation detailing her amazing work. She also met with our PhD students Bailey Atkinson and Charlotte Lewis to discuss the mysteries of norovirus, wastewater surveillance’s role in early pandemic emergence detection and collaboration prospects with the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

To find out more about Miranda check out her Erasmus Medical Center profile.

This episode explores the lived experiences of neurodivergent researchers in academia, from autism to ADHD.

Through candid conversations with scientists at different career stages, we uncover both the challenges they face in traditional academic environments and the unique strengths they bring to scientific discovery.

Our guests share practical strategies for supporting neurodiversity in research settings while advocating for systemic changes that could transform academia into a more inclusive space where different thinking styles are not just accommodated but celebrated as essential to innovation.

This great discussion was hosted by:

Dr. Amit Meir Ben Efraim, CVR Research Associate (Virology). Amit.meir@glasgow.ac.uk

Marina Kugler, CVR PhD student. Marina.kugler@glasgow.ac.uk

Dr. Vanessa Herder, CVR Research Fellow, Veterinary Experimental Pathologist (Virology). Vanessa.herder@glasgow.ac.uk

Associate Professor Anice Lowen travelled all the way from Atlanta's Emory University to deliver the Richard M. Elliott Memorial Lecture at the Glasgow Virology Workshop.

Anice completed her PhD at the CVR (then MRC Virology Unit) with Richard Elliott. We invited Anice along to chat with a couple of our PhD students, Stephen Devlin and Anna Sims.

Anice’s research has a focus on influenza A transmission and genome reassortment. Listen her to her talking about her career path and her advice for early career researchers.

Find out more about Anice and the Lowen Lab.

Prof Wendy Barclay OBE, winner of the 11th Annual Sir Michael Stoker Award, sat down with Stephen Devlin and Anna Sims on her visit the the CVR.

Wendy is the head of the Department of Infectious Disease and chair in Influenza Virology at Imperial College London. A large focus of her work is the mechanism of transmission of viruses between animals and humans.

Wendy gives insight into building a career in virology, navigating the challenges of science communication in the digital age, the importance of widening your network and asking for help

Dr Angela Rasmussen travelled from the University of Saskatchewan to the CVR in September 2023, and sat down with Spyros Lytras and Kieran Lamb.

Dr Angela Rasmussen is a virologist researching host responses to infection by integrating traditional virology with modern systems biology techniques to study highly pathogenic viruses.

Angela gives insight into dealing with toxic bosses, sustained research investments, empowering underrepresented groups of people, dealing with conflict and connecting with colleagues across disciplines through social media.

Learn more about Angela Rasmussen here.

Spanish virologist Nerea Irigoyen provides an inside look at her career with PhD students, Natasha Palmalux and Rozeena Arif.

Nerea details her pioneering work using ribosomal profiling to uncover the complexities of viral gene expression, as well as her experiences transitioning to an independent group leader role. Irigoyen also shares valuable guidance for early career researchers, especially those from Spain seeking to establish themselves internationally. Additionally, she stresses the benefits of diverse lab experiences and the need to develop resilience against online criticism.

Learn more about Nerea Irigoyen.

Listen to Dr Nir Drayman chat to Dr Mila Collados Rodriguez about his journey moving from Isreal to Chicago, to building his very own lab in California. Nir embraced the unexpected twists of life and found his passion for virology while working in systems biology labs.

He speaks about the challenges of navigating career opportunities, spousal hiring schemes and the meticulous process of choosing the flooring for your first laboratory. Nir gives advice on how to communicate your research effectively, convince committees to hire you and to embrace the individuality of every scientific path.

Find out more about Dr Nir Drayman here: UC Irvine - Faculty Profile System

There is strong evidence that the virus AAV2, alongside an underlying genetic predisposition, played a key role in cases of acute hepatitis in children, according to a study published in Nature – the first detailed research investigation into the worldwide outbreak.

In this podcast, host Stephen Devlin takes a deep dive into this new publication with lead author Dr Antonia Ho, Bioinformatician Dr Richard Orton and Pathologist Dr Vanessa Herder. The peer-reviewed study, which was led by researchers at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, Public Health Scotland (PHS) and ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium) WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK (CCP-UK), found that the common virus AAV2 (adeno-associated virus 2) was present in a range of different samples taken from children with acute unexplained hepatitis.

In contrast, AAV2 was not found to be commonly present in samples taken from children in the control groups. Researchers believe that AAV2 virus may have played a key role in the development of acute hepatitis in a small number of young children around the world.

Read the Nature publication 'Adeno-associated virus 2 infection in children with non-A-E hepatitis' here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05948-2

Professor Christian Drosten talks about his coronavirus research, challenges of science communication and the song that a German punk band wrote about him!

On Monday 9 January, we welcomed 2022 Sir Michael Stoker Award winner Professor Christian Drosten to the CVR. This annual award is awarded to a highly reputable scientist to honour their significant contributions within the field of virology who have excellent transparency with their research, regularly engaging with both the public and within the research community. Candidates are nominated and voted for by students, postdocs and technical staff within the CVR - and winners are invited to the CVR for the day to receive the award, meet with our early career researchers and give a seminar.

The winner of the 10th edition of the award, Professor Drosten is the director of the Institute of Virology at the Charite University Hosptial in Berlin, and is an instrumental figure in the field of coronaviruses , particularly in the areas of cross-immunity and host adaption. Some of his career highlights include the co-discovery of SARS-CoV, development of the first diagnostic WHO-approved RT-qPCR against SARS-CoV-2 and the development of RNA and antibody assays against MERS-CoV, which first implicated camels as the primary reservoir. Christian also has a general interest in the evolution, epidemiology and host-adaption of many other emerging viruses such as Ebolavirus, Avian Influenza and Zika Virus.