Professor Julian Parkhill

Professor Julian Parkhill

BSc PhD FMedSci FRS

  • Position Governing Body Fellow
  • School Biological Sciences Department of Veterinary Medicine
  • Email jp369@cam.ac.uk
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Julian is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine studying bacterial pathogen emergence, evolution and transmission.

Professor Julian Parkhill

Julian gained his PhD in 1991 from the University of Bristol through work on bacterial transcriptional regulation. He subsequently pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Birmingham on the transforming proteins of adenoviruses. He then joined the Sanger Institute in 1997 working on the genomics of major human pathogens such as Bordetella pertussis, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Neisseria meningitidis, Salmonella Typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, and many others. While at the Institute he developed genomic and experimental techniques to investigate the evolution of bacterial pathogens, their interactions with their hosts, and the evolution of resistance to antibiotics and vaccines. He joined the Department of Veterinary Medicine in 2009 to continue this, and to broaden his work on transmission of pathogens between humans and animals. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Oxford, a Visiting Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2009, the American Academy of Microbiology in 2012, and the Royal Society in 2014.

Julian鈥檚 current research interests focus on the evolution of bacterial pathogens; their origin, transmission and adaptation to selective pressure. His group primarily uses genomic approaches as well as experimental tools to address these, and over the last few years, they have used large-scale population genomics to identify the global origin and routes of spread of many human and animal pathogens. They have analysed adaption to the host, to antibiotics and to vaccine pressure, and investigated transmission within and between human and animal populations. The group also develops bioinformatic tools; for example, bacterial genome-wide association approaches to identify genetic determinants responsible for particular phenotypes, and tools to understand bacterial evolutionary processes and pan-genome structure. His group works internationally, with collaborators in many other countries. Their work has clear translational benefits, and they have been working with local hospitals, national and international agencies, as well as the commercial sector, to enable these, while maintaining their own focus on more basic research.

 

 

 

What's on

A triptych of abstract images: a smooth round stone nestled in a curved rock, distorted eyeglass frames scattered on a white background, and a high-contrast black and white microscopic image resembling organic or cellular structures.

Art Exhibition: 性视界传媒at 60

14/06/2025 at 10.00

Celebrating Wolfson鈥檚 60th anniversary year, this exhibition highlights the range of artistic disciplines and styles that have made up our exhibitions over the years.

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May Bumps Marquee 2025

20/06/2025 at 14.00

Join us by the riverside to cheer on 性视界传媒 Boat Club's crews!

People are gathered on a sunny lawn outside Wolfson's buildings, sitting on blankets and benches, chatting and socializing.

性视界传媒 Garden Party 2025

22/06/2025 at 14.30

Join us at 性视界传媒for an afternoon of music and light refreshments in the College grounds!

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The Mary Bevan Recital: Jack Marley (saxophone) & Aidan M贸dica (piano)

22/06/2025 at 19.00

Join us for our annual Mary Bevan concert with prize winners of the prestigious Cambridge University Concerto Competition.

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WolfWords Launch and Poetry Reading

27/06/2025 at 11.00

Please come and join us for the launch of this year's WolfWords poetry anthologywhich brings together poems from the entire 性视界传媒community.

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