Andrew Bowie

Professor Andrew Bowie is a Professor of Innate Immunology and Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin, where he serves as Head of the School of Biochemistry and Immunology. His research focuses on innate immune sensing mechanisms and their modulation by viruses, establishing him as a global leader in this field.

Bowie obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from Trinity College Dublin in 1997, following postdoctoral training with Prof Luke O'Neill. He was appointed as lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology in UCD before returning to TCD in 2001 to establish Ireland's first Immunology undergraduate degree course, which he coordinated from 2002-2006. He served as Director of Research in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology from 2005-2009, and as Head of Immunology from 2011-2017.

His research occupies a unique space at the interface between virology, immunology and disease pathogenesis. He investigates how pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogens, leading to interferon and cytokine production, and discovered IFI16 as a key cellular DNA sensor in 2010. His work has shed light on viral immune evasion mechanisms and how innate immune sensors drive inflammation. His laboratory has identified novel roles for innate immune proteins in regulating inflammation through cytokine modulation.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals continued leadership in innate immunity research with a focus on viral sensing mechanisms, DNA recognition systems, inflammation regulation, and host-pathogen interactions. His work spans fundamental immunology to potential therapeutic applications, with publications in top journals including Nature Communications, Cell Reports, and Immunity.

• Highly cited researcher (Clarivate, top 1% by citations) 2018
• Irish Society for Immunology Public Lecture Award Medal 2017
• Elected to the Royal Irish Academy 2014
• Elected Fellow of TCD 2008
• Sheldon Wolff Prize in Cytokine Research 1999
• Placed first in class (B.A. (Mod)) 1993

Professor Bowie has graduated 14 PhD students to date and secured over €9 million in research funding from national and international agencies including Science Foundation Ireland, the EU, and the US National Institutes of Health, as well as private industry. His laboratory investigates how pathogens engage with human cells through pattern recognition receptors and how viruses evade immune detection. He is actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate Immunology teaching, contributing significantly to TCD's global reputation as a center of excellence for Immunology teaching and research.