معرفی
Dr. Divya Venkatesh is a BBSRC Discovery Fellow at the University of Oxford, based at the Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research. Her research focuses on understanding viral and host determinants of species specificity and susceptibility in infectious diseases, particularly influenza A virus. She investigates how avian influenza adapts to mammals, using the avian-seal interface as a natural experiment to study pathogenicity differences between grey and harbour seals. This work aims to predict and mitigate wildlife disease outbreaks and future pandemics.
Her research interests include zoonotic diseases, viral evolution, and host-pathogen interactions, with a focus on influenza A virus dynamics in wild birds, livestock, and marine mammals. Venkatesh’s recent studies emphasize antigenic characterization, pandemic risk assessment, and genetic reassortment patterns in avian and swine influenza viruses.
- Awards: BBSRC Discovery Fellowship
- Key Themes: Avian influenza spillover, pathogen adaptation in mammals, and One Health approaches.
Her publications highlight contributions to understanding influenza’s zoonotic potential, viral evolution in diverse hosts, and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in kinetoplastid parasites.
