Prof. Venugopal Nair graduated from the College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Kerala, India. After obtaining his PhD in Veterinary Medicine from Madras Veterinary College, and a short spell as Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine in Kerala, Prof. Nair started his research career in Virology at Oxford University. Prof. Nair led the Viral Oncogenesis group at the Pirbright Institute for nearly 30 years. Prof. Nair is also Visiting Professor of Avian Virology and Jenner Investigator at the Jenner Institute Oxford.
He was the co-founder of the UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases (CERAD), a research network of academic institutions in the UK and China. Prof. Nair has carried out extensive research on Marek’s disease investigating the molecular biology of the virus, pathogenic mechanisms and the role of vaccines in protection and evolution of virulence. Prof Nair has published over 200 peer reviewed papers and written several book chapters focusing on avian oncogenic virus diseases. In recognition of his contributions to Science, Prof. Nair was admitted to the World Veterinary Poultry Association Hall of Honour in 2013 and awarded OBE by Her Majesty Late Queen Elizabeth. He is currently Emeritus Professor at the Pirbright Institute.
Related Session/Presentation:
Keynote Paper 8
Marek’s Disease: A Major Challenge for Poultry Health & an Excellent Model for Viral Oncogenesis
