David Aanensen

David Aanensen serves as Director of The Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance and Professor at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. He leads genomic surveillance initiatives for endemic pathogens and outbreak scenarios, integrating epidemiological data with genomics to inform public health interventions globally.

His research focuses on genomic surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens through platforms like Epicollect5 (mobile data gathering), Microreact (genomic epidemiology visualization), and Pathogenwatch (global surveillance platform). Collaborating with major agencies including CDC, ECDC, WHO, and Public Health England, his work enables real-time data interpretation for infection control decisions.

Recent publications demonstrate expertise in Klebsiella pneumoniae vaccine development, typhoid fever AMR meta-analysis, SARS-CoV-2 phylodynamics, and carbapenem-resistant pathogen spread. His work spans bacterial genomics, plasmid evolution, phylogenetic clustering, and public health informatics with emphasis on actionable surveillance systems.

As Director of the NIHR-funded Global Health Research Unit on Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, he implements genomic surveillance systems in The Philippines, Colombia, Nigeria, and India. His team develops analytical frameworks linking genomic data with phenotypic and epidemiological information for priority pathogens under national AMR strategies.

Key projects include the Epicollect5 platform (>28 million data points across 14,000 projects) and Pathogenwatch for rapid resistance genotype prediction. His laboratory functions as an international hub for genomic epidemiology, working directly with public health agencies to transform genomic data into actionable public health intelligence.