Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Current Research Interests
Replication and pathogenesis of influenza viruses.
Research Interests
I am a molecular virologist, trained at Cambridge and Harvard Universities, who has led an independent research group since 1993, first at Cambridge University and since 2012, at the University of Edinburgh. Senior leadership roles include leading multiple large multi-PI research consortia, line managing a Division of ~ 24 PIs, Deputy Director roles at the Roslin Institute and Chair of the Edinburgh University Scientific Academic Track (ESAT) programme
Research: Focussing on respiratory RNA viruses, (primarily influenza) I have published over 130 peer reviewed research papers, including several in headline journals such as Nature, Science and Cell. This body of work has gained 29,000 citations and an h-index of 62. It has been supported by 30 major (programme/project grant level) awards and over 30 smaller grants totalling £48M, including £13M as personal/PI support. The total value (all sites/PIs) of my current funding is £12M, with £3.5M as personal/PI support.
Mentorship: I have supervised 15 postdoctoral fellows, 60 PhD and four Masters students (32 and 3 as primary supervisor, respectively). 45 of the PhD students have successfully completed and 10 are ongoing. Twelve of my lab alumni have gone on to independent academic positions. In addition, I am Co-Director and Interim Chair of the University of Edinburgh Scientific Academic Track scheme, a tenure-track programme which aims to train the next generation of scientific leaders in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine. At the local campus level (one of 6 Schools in the College and the one where I have collated data), it has successfully trained over 30 PIs who won more than £50M of external funding and published over 300 research papers during their ~ 5 year fellowship periods.
Websites
http://www.roslin.ed.ac.uk/paul-digard/
Biography
| 2006-2011 | Honorary Researcher, Cambridge University Hospitals Trust |
| 2005-2011 | Senior Lecturer |
| 2004-2005 | University Lecturer |
| 2003-2004 |
Senior Research Associate, Funded by Wellcome Trust Value in People award |
| 1995-2003 |
Royal Society University Research Fellow |
| 1993-1995 |
Research Associate, Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge |
| 1989-1993 |
Fellow, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School |
Administrative Roles
Media
Public Understanding of Science:
Newspaper/online articles
Rebirth for killer of 40 million. The Scotsman, p15; 23/10/00.
Can we learn from Spanish Flu? The Guernsey Evening Press, p26-27; 17/11/00.
Deadly virus has hidden dangers for mankind. The Guernsey Press, p25, 9/3/01. (With J. Greatorex).
Germ warfare: the true, grim facts. The Guernsey Press, p25, 19/10/01. (With J. Greatorex).
Is death waiting in the wings? The Guernsey Press, p20-21, 4/2/04.
Bird flu - what are the dangers? The Guernsey Press, 7/11/05
Only time will tell whether swine flu is next pandemic. The Guernsey Press, 28/4/09
In the shadow of the coronavirus: China records bird flu outbreak (interview). Brazilian Society for Tropical Medicine, 13/03/2020. https://tinyurl.com/ycosj8gz
A scientist’s opinion: Interview with Professor Paul Digard on research efforts to develop treatments against Covid-19. European Science Media Hub, 3/4/2020.
Media Appearances
I have given interviews on the subject of influenza on Radio 4, Radio 5, BBC World Service, The Naked Scientist Radio Show/Podcast as well as various BBC local radio stations. I have also provided BBC News with background briefings on the subject of avian and swine influenza and COVID-19.
Selected public lectures/events
Jan 2006 Cambridge University Scientific Society, Cambridge.
Nov 2012 Our Changing World series, University of Edinburgh
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZlkW5PxIog)
October 2013 Science in the saddle, Midlothian Science Festival.
April 2014. The virus hunters. Edinburgh Science Festival.
October 2014 Science in the saddle, Midlothian Science Festival.
November 2014 “Flu Fighters” at the Great British Bioscience Festival.
July 2015 “Flu Fighters” at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.
October 2015 Science in the saddle, Midlothian Science Festival.
August 2019 Science in the saddle, Midlothian Outdoors Festival.
July 2020 Science Insights Online series “An introduction to SARS-CoV-2”
November 2020 “Genetic engineering of viruses - benefits and controversies”, Institution of Engineering & Technology public lecture series.
March 2021 “Connections: COVID 19 One Year On”. Panel event, Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University. https://youtu.be/sAayZH9WHEc
April 2021 Interview with Harvard Crimson magazine over attempts to date the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/4/22/lack-transparency-covid-wuhan-study/
December 2022 Interview with the Financial Times over avian influenza. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-aHbL2mc_c
June 2023. House of Commons Science, Innovation & technology committee witness over avian influenza.
November 2023. Royal Scottish Society of Arts – public lecture: “The past, present and possible future of bird flu” https://youtu.be/fATUCPXQg2o
February 2024. Interview with Jon Cohen, chief science writer of Science Magazine over gain-of-function research on avian influenza
https://www.science.org/content/article/lawmaker-raises-new-flap-over-u-s-funded-virology-research-critics-call-risky
Research students
| 2022-Present | Ph.D. supervisor, Jenna Shafers, University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track scholarship (WT UNS145923). With Professor Wilson Poon and Dr Aidan |
| 2022-present | Ph.D supervisor, Vaia Eleni Drampa, University of Edinburgh. With Dr Finn Grey as primary supervisor. |
| 2022-present | Ph.D. supervisor, Hou Wei Chook, University of Edinburgh. With Dr Elly Gaunt as lead supervisor |
| 2023-present | Ph.D. supervisor, Shu Zhou, University of Edinburgh. Self funded. With Dr Elly Gaunt as co-supervisor |
| 2023-present | PhD supervisor, Maia Beeson, University of Edinburgh. Roslin Foundation studentship. With Dr Elly Gaunt as primary supervisor. |
| 2023-present | Ph.D supervisor, Sujith Surendranath, University of St Andrews. Eastbio studentship. With Dr David Hughes as primary supervisor |
| 2023-present | Ph.D. supervisor, Christiane Cladrowa, University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh- Zhejiang (ZJE) PhD program. With Dr Richard Sloan as primary supervisor |
| 2025-present | PhD supervisor, Haoyu Chang, University of Edinburgh. China Scholarship Council studentship. With Drs Rute Pinto and Lu Lu as co-supervisors |
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Evolutionary Conservation of the PA-X Open Reading Frame in Segment 3 of Influenza A Virus
Shi, M., Jagger, B. W., Wise, H. M., Digard, P., Holmes, E. C. & Taubenberger, J. K., Nov 2012, In: Journal of Virology. 86, 22, p. 12411-12413 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Nucleozin Targets Cytoplasmic Trafficking of Viral Ribonucleoprotein-Rab11 Complexes in Influenza A Virus Infection
Amorim, M. J., Kao, R. Y. & Digard, P., Apr 2013, In: Journal of Virology. 87, 8, p. 4694-4703 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
An Overlapping Protein-Coding Region in Influenza A Virus Segment 3 Modulates the Host Response
Jagger, B. W., Wise, H. M., Kash, J. C., Walters, K. A., Wills, N. M., Xiao, Y. L., Dunfee, R. L., Schwartzman, L. M., Ozinsky, A., Bell, G. L., Dalton, R. M., Lo, A., Efstathiou, S., Atkins, J. F., Firth, A. E., Taubenberger, J. K. & Digard, P., Jul 2012, In: Science. 337, 6091, p. 199-204 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A Complicated Message: Identification of a Novel PB1-Related Protein Translated from Influenza A Virus Segment 2 mRNA
Wise, H. M., Foeglein, A., Sun, J., Dalton, R. M., Patel, S., Howard, W., Anderson, E. C., Barclay, W. S. & Digard, P., Aug 2009, In: Journal of Virology. 83, 16, p. 8021-8031 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Small molecule inhibitors of influenza A and B viruses that act by disrupting subunit interactions of the viral polymerase
Muratore, G., Goracci, L., Mercorelli, B., Foeglein, A., Digard, P., Cruciani, G., Palu, G. & Loregian, A., 2012, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 109, 16, p. 6247-6252 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Activities
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The past, present and possible future of bird flu
Digard, P. (Assessor)
27 Nov 2023Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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House of Commons, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Digard, P. (Advisor)
21 Jun 2023Activity: Consultancy types › Providing oral or written evidence for non-academic board, committee, working group or advisory panel
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Misleading to the Public’: Students, Experts Criticize Harvard Study Suggesting Early Emergence of Covid-19 in Wuhan
Digard, P. (Advisor)
12 May 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Public Engagement – Public lecture/debate/seminar
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“Connections: COVID 19 One Year On”
Digard, P. (Advisor)
31 Mar 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Public Engagement – Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Owen Thompson MP Visit to Roslin Institute
Whitelaw, B. (Advisor), Digard, P. (Advisor), White, V. (Advisor), Argyle, D. (Advisor) & Tait-Burkard, C. (Advisor)
12 Aug 2020Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Public Engagement – Schools engagement
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Quantifying Exhaled Aerosolised Respiratory Virus In Acutely Hospitalised Patients
Walsh, T. (Principal Investigator), Arvind, D. K. (Co-investigator), Digard, P. (Co-investigator) & Viola, I. M. (Co-investigator)
1/09/24 → 30/11/26
Project: Research
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ECOFLU : Understanding the ecology of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in wild bird populations
Cunningham, E. (Principal Investigator), Cunningham, E. (Principal Investigator), Bronsvoort, M. (Co-investigator), Digard, P. (Co-investigator), Digard, P. (Co-investigator), Gaunt, E. (Co-investigator), Gaunt, E. (Co-investigator), Lycett, S. (Co-investigator), Lycett, S. (Co-investigator), Nichol, C. (Co-investigator), Silk, M. (Co-investigator) & Smith, J. (Co-investigator)
Natural Environment Research Council
15/04/24 → 31/03/27
Project: Research
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Mechanistic And Pathway Analysis Of Animal Influenza Virus Cross-species Transmission By Constructing Genotype And Phenotype Networks
Digard, P. (Principal Investigator) & Lu, L. (Co-investigator)
14/02/24 → 13/02/27
Project: Research
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Flu Trailmap (Transmission and risk of avian influenza: learning more to advance preparedness)
Kao, R. (Principal Investigator), Bronsvoort, M. (Co-investigator), Digard, P. (Co-investigator), Gaunt, E. (Co-investigator), Lycett, S. (Co-investigator), Smith, J. (Co-investigator) & Sutton, K. (Co-investigator)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
15/11/23 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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Roslin Foundation PhD Studentships-RF2023/001
Digard, P. (Co-investigator), Gaunt, E. (Co-investigator), Hassan, M. (Co-investigator), Mabbott, N. (Co-investigator), Mabbott, N. (Co-investigator), Morrison, L. (Co-investigator), Prendergast, J. (Co-investigator), Stevens, M. (Co-investigator) & Sutton, K. (Co-investigator)
1/10/23 → 30/09/27
Project: Research
Datasets
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Data from A Brief History of Bird Flu
Lycett, S. (Creator), Duchatel, F. (Project Member) & Digard, P. (Project Member), Dryad, 6 May 2019
Dataset
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Raw red counts from a CRISPR screen for host factors required for influenza virus replication
Clohisey Hendry, S. (Creator), Chia, B. S. (Creator), Wang, B. (Creator), Cui, A. (Creator), Eisenhaure, T. (Creator), Schweitzer, L. D. (Creator), Hoover, P. (Creator), Nachshon, A. (Creator), Smith, N. (Creator), Regan, T. (Creator), Farr, D. (Creator), Gutmann, M. (Creator), Bukhari, S. I. (Creator), Law, A. (Creator), Sangesland, M. (Creator), Gat-Viks, I. (Creator), Digard, P. (Creator), Vasudevan, S. (Creator), Lingwood, D. (Creator), Dockrell, D. (Creator), Doench, J. G. (Creator), Baillie, K. (Creator), Hacohen, N. (Creator), Parkinson, N. J. (Creator) & Li, B. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 14 Oct 2024
DOI: 10.7488/ds/7818
Dataset
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Face coverings and respiratory tract droplet dispersion
Bandiera, L. (Creator), Pavar, G. (Creator), Pisetta, G. (Creator), Otomo, S. (Creator), Mangano, E. (Creator), Seckl, J. (Creator), Digard, P. (Creator), Molinari, E. (Creator), Menolascina, F. (Creator) & Viola, I. M. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 11 Aug 2020
DOI: 10.7488/ds/2897, https://datashare.is.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283/3729
Dataset
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Face Coverings, Aerosol Dispersion and Mitigation of Virus Transmission Risk. Dataset 3: raw and processed data for tests 97 - 174
Viola, I. M. (Creator), Peterson, B. (Creator), Pisetta, G. (Creator), Pavar, G. (Creator), Akhtar, H. (Creator), Menoloascina, F. (Creator), Mangano, E. (Creator), Nila, A. (Creator), Molinari, E. (Creator), Cummins, C. (Creator), McDougall, C. (Creator), Denison, F. (Creator), Dunn, K. (Creator), Gabl, R. (Creator), Digard, P. (Creator), Dunn, M. (Creator), Lo, T. Y. M. (Creator) & Mehendale, F. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 25 May 2020
DOI: 10.7488/ds/2832
Dataset
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Face Coverings, Aerosol Dispersion and Mitigation of Virus Transmission Risk. Dataset 1: videos, images and spirometry results
Peterson, B. (Creator), Pisetta, G. (Creator), Pavar, G. (Creator), Akhtar, H. (Creator), Menoloascina, F. (Creator), Mangano, E. (Creator), Nila, A. (Creator), Molinari, E. (Creator), McDougall, C. (Creator), Denison, F. (Creator), Dunn, K. (Creator), Gabl, R. (Creator), Digard, P. (Creator), Dunn, M. (Creator), Lo, T. Y. M. (Creator), Mehendale, F. (Creator), Cummins, C. (Creator) & Viola, I. M. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 19 May 2020
DOI: 10.7488/ds/2826
Dataset
Press/Media
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The threat of a bird flu pandemic is rising but experts say the risk remains low. Are they right?
1/08/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Avian influenza: new human infections and an accelerating epizootic in the United States
8/06/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Bird flu outbreak in US cattle sparks fears over next global health crisis
3/05/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Commentary: How worried should we be about bird flu in US cows and milk?
1/05/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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How worried should we be about the return of bird flu?
1/05/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research