Professor Robin Shattock is Professor of Mucosal Infection and Immunity at Imperial College, London and has over 30 years’ experience in research and development of vaccines and anti-infective therapeutics. The focus of his research is the development of vaccines to prevent pandemic threats and poverty related diseases. His publications include over 260 peer-reviewed scientific papers published in a range of journals. During his professional life he has led large multi-centre programs funded by the Wellcome Trust, MRC, EPSRC, CEPI, NIH, European Commission, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  

His academic research portfolio includes vaccine projects on SARS-CoV-2, HIV, Ebola, Lassa fever, Marburg and rabies viruses, Chlamydia Trachomatis and Yersinia pestis. Robin is a recognized international leader in RNA vaccine technology and his research group was the first in the world to test a self-amplifying RNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in phase I/II clinical trials. 

He is currently Chair of the Advisory Board for the IAVI Advance program, is a member of the Gobal HIV Vaccine Enterprise, and is the Founder of VaxEquity Ltd which focuses on development of RNA vaccines against human infectious diseases. He is also an elected fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. 

His portrait was taken at the St Mary’s Campus of Imperial College where 95 years ago Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic. Robin talked about his time at Lancing when he gave the Head Masters lecture The COVID-19 vaccine race: more of a marathon than a sprint in 2020 to students and an online audience of over 250. 

At school he recalled being more attracted to acting and music, which gave him the ability to be himself and the space to explore things. In later years, he recognised the use of knowledge in a creative fashion is paramount to most successful endeavours in science. Additionally, that science can often seem very dry, but it does require creativity, innovation and huge communication skills – to communicate to the public, but also to share ideas to attract necessary funding.