Robert C Read

Professor Robert C Read is Chair of Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton. He leads research initiatives in bacteriotherapy, vaccine development, and clinical infection dynamics.

His research interests include

• Genetically modified commensal bacteria for human bacteriotherapy
• Vaccine efficacy and heterologous prime-boost strategies
• Controlled human infection models (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, Bordetella, Neisseria)
• Pathogenesis of meningococcal and respiratory infections
• Antibiotic stewardship in pediatric primary care

Recent publications in 2022-2019 highlight his work on

• COVID-19 booster vaccine schedules (Com-COV, COV-BOOST trials)
• Neisseria lactamica for nasal bacteriotherapy
• Genomic virulence factors in E. coli and Neisseria
• Immunological mechanisms in pneumonia

He collaborates with researchers like Emeritus Professor Ian Clarke and Professor Saul Faust, and holds funding from the Medical Research Council for bacteriotherapy projects.