Fiona Culley

Dr Fiona Culley is an Associate Professor at the National Heart & Lung Institute within Imperial College London's Faculty of Medicine. Her affiliations include the Respiratory Infections Centre, Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Institute of Infection, and Vaccine Research Network. She specializes in respiratory immunology, focusing on age-related immune responses to infections like Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), particularly in neonates and the elderly.

Dr Culley's education includes a Natural Sciences degree from Cambridge University, followed by immunology research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her postdoctoral work explored respiratory immunology, with key contributions to understanding immune evasion mechanisms in helminth parasites and the neonatal RSV model. She has held roles in live cell microscopy studies with Prof Dan Davis and led research on innate lymphoid cells.

Her research interests span respiratory inflammation, RSV pathogenesis, and the impact of age on immunity. Funded by the MRC, Wellcome Trust, and others, her work bridges basic immunology and clinical applications. Notable projects include studying maternal influenza infection effects on offspring immunity and the role of extracellular vesicles in tissue repair.

Her publications highlight themes of immune aging, cytokine regulation, and novel diagnostic tools like the 14-color flow cytometry panel for pediatric samples. She contributes to medical education innovations, including curriculum reforms in endocrinology training and assessment methodologies.

Labs and facilities affiliations include the St Mary's campus core flow cytometry facility and the Wellcome Trust 4-Year PhD Training Programme. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates immunology, microbiology, and biochemistry to address critical respiratory health challenges.