Organising Committee

Kieran Meade
Kieran is Associate Professor in Immunobiology in the school of Agriculture and Food Science. Kieran is interested in the immunological mechanisms supporting host resilience to infection.

Grace Mulcahy
Grace is Full Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and spent almost 10 years (Jan 2007- Sept 2016) as Dean of Veterinary Medicine at UCD and from Sept 2011-Sept 2016 Head of the newly-formed UCD School of Veterinary Medicine. She has an active research group focusing on helminth immunobiology, vaccines for veterinary parasites, and One Health. She is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Gerald Barry
Gerald is a virologist and Assistant Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Gerald is interested in all things viral and One Health, including Covid-19. Gerald is particularly interested in species-specific differences in viral infectivity and immunity.

Hanne Jahns
Hanne is an Associate Professor and veterinary pathologist with interests spanning multiple livestock species. Hanne is interested in Gross anatomical pathology, histopathology and immunohistochemistry, neuropathology, and oncology.

Robin Flynn
Robin previously worked in the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine & Science working on the host immune response to parasite infection and in the Department of Infection Biology at IGH (now IVES) Liverpool. In 2020 Robin returned to Ireland and in 2021 he took up his current role focuses on the recent designation of WIT and IT Carlow as a Technological University.

Orla Keane
Orla is a senior research officer in Irelands Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Teagasc. Her research focus is on animal health with an emphasis on host-pathogen interactions, use of antimicrobials and the effect of climate change on pathogen epidemiology.

Tom Ford
Tom is a Principal Scientific Officer in Immunology at Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland. Now working in the control of TB infection in cattle, Tom has many years laboratory experience and expertise in cellular and molecular immunology, and molecular phylogenetics

Nicola Fletcher
Nicola is a veterinarian and an Assistant Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine and a Fellow of the Conway Institute, UCD. Nicola has worked in the University of Birmingham and the Animal and Plant Health Agency in the UK. Her current research is focused on the characterisation of a novel antiviral against SARS-CoV-2.

Ilias Kyriazakis
Ilias is a veterinarian and professor in the school of biological sciences and member of the institute for global food security in Queen’s University Belfast. His research interest focus on the consequences of animal management on their performance, ability to cope with pathogens and their environmental impact.

Trudee Fair
Trudee is a Professor of Animal Reproductive Physiology in the School of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD. Trudee leads a large EU funded Innovative Training Network (Eurovaetn.eu) and has recently led the successful award of an Athena Swan Silver award for our school. Trudee is particularly interested in oocyte development and the interactions between bovine reproduction and immune systems.