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SUMMARY:Presentation Afternoon for Mike Skinner’s Scientifical Career
DESCRIPTION:Presentation afternoon for Mike Skinner’s Scientifical Career
 \nPlease join us for an afternoon of presentations by past colleagues in s
 cience to mark the occasion of Mike’s retirement on the afternoon of Fri
 day 16th September 2022 at St Mary’s Campus and also available to join o
 nline.\nAbout Mike\n\nMike has enjoyed a peripatetic research career in mo
 lecular virology\, during which he has studied a wide range of diverse vir
 uses (from polio to corona\, from retro to pox\, with a smattering of birn
 a\, flavi and flu). He has been involved in virus genome sequencing since 
 struggling to read tens of bases manually on 32P gels\, then assembling hu
 ndreds of bases from capillary sequencers and finally processing billions 
 of RNAseq reads from virus-infected cells. His interest in genetics\, and 
 its value as an experimental tool\, dates to his PhD in microbial genetics
 \, and proved invaluable in elucidating the structure (and role in neurovi
 rulence) of the 5’ non-coding region of poliovirus and tracking down pox
 virus modulators of the avian interferon response\, as well as helping Wen
 dy Barclay’s group identify the major host range restriction factor for 
 avian flu.\nEmerging viruses have been a major interest for Mike since wor
 king on HIV in the late ‘80s and since his group were first to clone and
  sequence two very different avian viruses that emerged in the late ‘80s
  to become panzootic (animal pandemics) and cause massive losses to the po
 ultry industry\, remaining as big problems to this day. An interest in vac
 cines dates to his work on polio but became more focussed on recombinant v
 accine vectors after taking over work on fowlpox virus in 1990. In the ear
 ly 2000s\, Mike collaborated with Adrian Hill and Sarah Gilbert in their e
 fforts to develop recombinant vector vaccines for malaria\, before they mo
 ved on to the chimpanzee adenovirus that would be used for their COVID-19 
 vaccine. His experience in recombinant vectors led to an appointment in 20
 04 as a member of HSE’s newly formed Scientific Advisory Committee on Ge
 netic Modification (Contained Use\; SACGM)\, a committee he has chaired si
 nce 2014.\nMike took semi-retirement in July 2019\, aiming to:-\nreduce th
 e burden of commuting\, spend more time with now retired scientist & teach
 er wife\, Judith\, working from home (in Oxfordshire or Cornwall) and help
  look after young grandchildren. Of course\, COVID-19 obviated the need to
  retire to enjoy the first two and negated the opportunity for the last. H
 is research group then much reduced (to a PhD project on Zika virus) and b
 eing off grid during the first 3 weeks of March 2020\, Mike felt his only 
 possible practical contribution was to serve as a volunteer lab worker at 
 Lighthouse\, Milton Keynes\, where he spent 2 months on 12h night and day 
 shifts\, performing sample triage and PCR preparation. He was relieved to 
 find he could still pipette and had never done anything remotely like so m
 uch before.\nSeminar will commence from 1.45 pm until 5.15 pm with a break
  midway.\nJoin in person: Anthony Rothschild Lecture Theatre\, St Mary’s
  Campus\nor Online: Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 379 062 793
  819\, Passcode: rdjkJK\n\nDownload Teams | Join on the web
URL:https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/151672/celebration-afternoon-of-mike-
 skinners-scientifical-career/
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220916T124500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220916T171500
LOCATION:Anthony Rothschild LT\, 2nd Floor\, Norfolk Place & Online\, Medic
 al School\, St Mary's Campus\, Imperial College London\, London\, W2 1NY\,
  United Kingdom
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