The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has appointed Professor Jodi Lindsay as the new Head of the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences (CBS) at its Camden campus. Professor Lindsay will bring her extensive experience of research and teaching to the CBS, helping further advance the RVC’s basic, biomedical, bioveterinary and OneHealth research.
As a leading department within the RVC, which provides Biomedical Science education to first- and second-year Veterinary, Gateway, Bachelors and Masters students, it delivers world-class research across infection and immunity, genetics, cardiovascular science, neuroscience, molecular biology and population health, combining fundamental and translational studies. Through this work, CBS provides a cutting-edge education to students while producing research that has a global impact on human and animal health.
Professor Lindsay is an internationally recognised expert in microbiology and infectious disease research, with more than 30 years’ experience spanning laboratory research, clinical science and academic leadership. She holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, where she was based in the diagnostic lab at Sir Charles Gairder Hospital, before completing post-doctoral studies at New York University Medical Center and the University of Sheffield, where she studied genetics.
Prior to joining the RVC, Professor Lindsay held senior roles at City St George’s, University of London, including Academic Lead for REF2021 and Director of Cross-Cutting Research Themes, which involved overseeing research strategy, staff development and multidisciplinary programmes.
Her research focuses on staphylococci, pathogenic bacteria responsible for a broad spectrum of diseases with varying degrees of severity, including Staphylococcus aureus and antimicrobial-resistant MRSA, investigating their genomics, evolution, host adaptation and epidemiology. She also leads a research team funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), which will join her at the RVC, and has collaborated extensively with veterinary colleagues on studies of antimicrobial resistance in animals and humans.
Professor Lindsay also brings extensive experience in teaching and academic leadership. She has supervised numerous PhD and MRes students, contributed significantly to doctoral training programmes, and served on a wide range of professional and grant committees. She has led teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and will continue to mentor and support the next generation of scientists, maintaining academic and research excellence across the department.
Professor Jodi Lindsay, head of the department of comparative biomedical sciences at the RVC, said: “It is an honour to lead the comparative biomedical sciences department at RVC, a world-leading specialist institution with enormous talent and potential. I am especially excited about the opportunities for One Health, multidisciplinary research with impactful clinical application. I look forward to contributing to the strategy and future direction of RVC in the years to come.”
Professor Stuart Reid CBE, president and principal of the RVC, said: “It is a real pleasure to welcome Jodi to the RVC. She comes to us with an outstanding reputation in academic leadership and with an international track record in research. As the new Head of Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, I know she will build on the strong foundations that exist and take the RVC to the next level at a critical time for the sector.”
