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ProfessorPeter Openshaw, CBE FMedSci

Professor of Experimental Medicine

National Heart & Lung Institute - Faculty of Medicine

Orcid identifier0000-0002-7220-2555 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Professor of Experimental Medicine
    National Heart & Lung Institute - Faculty of Medicine
  • 020 7594 3854 (Work)
  • Imperial College London, National Heart and Lung (VPD building), Du Cane Road, London, Hammersmith Campus, W12 0NN, United Kingdom

BIO

Peter Openshaw CBE FMedSci FRCP is Professor of Experimental Medicine within the National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London. A respiratory physician and mucosal immunologist, he works on how the immune response both protects against viral infection but also causes disease.

 

He has published over 400 papers on vaccinology, the immunopathogenesis of pulmonary viral diseases and lung inflammation and has received prizes for his lifetime contribution to RSV research (Chanock Award, 2012), the EFIS Ehrlich/Metchnikoff Medal (2014) and the Per Brandtzaeg Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award in Mucosal Immunology (2024).

 

He was the first clinical President of the British Society for Immunology (2013-18), former President of the International RSV Society (2017-2025) and is a Council Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences (Chair of Governance Committee). He is a Trustee of the Science Media Centre, of the European Scientific Working group on Influenza (ESWI), of the International Society for Respiratory Viruses (ISRV) and Director of the HIC-Vac consortium (promoting human experimental challenge to accelerate vaccinology). He has served on scientific advisory boards for GSK, Sanofi, Seqirus, AstraZeneca, BioNet (Asia), Pfizer, Moderna and Shionogi.

 

He advised the UK government on pandemics (SAGE, 2009-12; Chair/Vice-Chair of NERVTAG, 2015-2022). He was made a Commander of the British Empire for services to Medicine and Immunology in 2022 and awarded the Imperial College Medal 2024 for his work as Consul, reforming the university’s Ethos, Values and Behaviours. In June 2025, he was appointed to Main Panel A of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF2029), Chairing Subpanel 1 (Clinical Medicine).


https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7220-2555 

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Prefessor of Experimental Medicine
    Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom1 Oct 1996 - present
  • President
    British Society for Immunology, United Kingdom7 Dec 2014 - 8 Dec 2018
  • Senior Investigator
    National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR), United Kingdom1 Sep 2013 - 1 Sep 2018
  • Consul/Proconsul
    Imperial College London, London, UK1 Sep 2016 - present

DEGREES

  • MB BS
    University of London, London, United Kingdom1 Jun 1979 - present
  • BSc
    University of London, London, United Kingdom1 Jul 1976 - present
  • FRCP
    Royal College of Physicians, London, United Kingdom1 Jul 1994 - present
  • PhD
    National Institute for Medical Research/ Brunel, London, United Kingdom1 Oct 1988 - present

LANGUAGES

  • German
    Can understand
  • French
    Can understand

FACULTY

  • Faculty of Medicine

POSITION NAME

  • Professor of Experimental Medicine

MEDIA GUIDE

  • Members of the media are welcome to contact me about my research and areas of expertise

FIELDS OF RESEARCH