Vishwanatha Reddy

Dr. Vishwanatha Reddy is a Lecturer in Bioveterinary Science at the School of Life Sciences, Keele University. His research focuses on poultry viruses, particularly the molecular biology and pathogenesis of avian coronaviruses (IBV), herpesviruses (ILTV, HVT, MDV), and birnaviruses (IBDV). He aims to design vaccines against immunosuppressive poultry viruses by studying cell destruction pathways and immunosuppression mechanisms. Dr. Reddy holds a DVM degree from Bangalore Veterinary College (2007), a master's in Biochemistry (via Indian Veterinary Research Institute), and a PhD from Ghent University under Prof. Hans Nauwynck. He has conducted postdoctoral research at The Pirbright Institute, earning a 2023 Strategic Career Development Award for IBDV research. His work emphasizes vectored vaccines using avian herpesviruses and understanding zoonotic pathogen interactions.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Bangalore Veterinary College, India (2007)
• Master's in Biochemistry, supported by Indian Veterinary Research Institute
• PhD in Avian Virology, Ghent University, Belgium (2016)

Research Interests: Avian viral pathogenesis, vaccine development, immunosuppressive mechanisms, and molecular biology of poultry viruses. Key focus areas include IBDV cell destruction pathways, HVT/ILTV-based vector vaccines, and zoonotic secondary infections.

Awards:

• 2023 Pirbright Strategic Career Development Award

Advising & Grants: Active in supervising research projects on avian viruses. Collaborations include work at The Pirbright Institute under Prof. Venugopal Nair and Dr. Yongxiu Yao.

Labs/Teams: Part of the School of Life Sciences at Keele, with affiliations to The Pirbright Institute's virology programs.