I am Head of the Vaccines Project for the Global Health Security Programme at the  Department of Health and Social Care, UK. I am responsible for delivering an ODA funded programme to support the development of vaccine candidates, and research on associated technologies and methodologies, for diseases with epidemic potential in low and middle income countries. In this role I also support the UK Vaccine Network, a group of leading experts from academia, industry and policy, who provide expert advice to the UK Government. Prior to my current role, I have undertaken a number of science policy roles in the civil service, including at the Government Office for Science and on secondment at The Alan Turing Institute.  Before joining the Civil Service I completed a PhD in Immunology and Infection at the University of Cambridge in 2015, where my research focused on mechanisms used by poxviruses to evade the immune system of their hosts.