Danny Wright

Vaccine Scientist

I’m a vaccine researcher and senior immunologist at the Oxford Vaccine Group and Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford, where I work with Professor Teresa Lambe OBE to develop vaccines against emerging viral diseases. My interest in infectious diseases began while studying at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and solidified after joining Oxford shortly before the large 2014 Ebola outbreak. Seeing how quickly vaccine research could potentially make a real difference during a public health emergency made me realise this was the field I wanted to work in.

Between the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks, I worked on developing a vaccine against Rift Valley fever virus, a mosquito-borne disease that affects both livestock and people. Later work on the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine programme allowed me to see first-hand the global impact research can have when vaccine development is accelerated. I continue to work on developing vaccines against viruses that spread from animals to humans, including hantaviruses, with the aim of helping prevent local outbreaks from becoming larger crises.