Dr Edward Holmes, PhD - University of Sydney - Exploring Evolution & Emergence Across The Virosphere

Professor Dr. Edward (Eddie) Holmes, Ph.D. ( https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/about/our-people/academic-staff/edward-holmes.html ) is an evolutionary biologist distinguished for his work on the emergence and evolution of viruses and over the years of his career he has used genomic and phylogenetic approaches to reveal the major mechanisms of virus evolution and determined the genetic and epidemiological processes that explain how viruses jump species boundaries and spread in new hosts.

Dr. Holmes work has revealed the origin, evolution and molecular epidemiology of important human pathogens including influenza, HIV and dengue, and enabled more accurate assessments of what types of virus are most likely to emerge in human populations and whether they will evolve human-to-human transmission. His recent research has provided fundamental insights into the breadth and biodiversity of the viral world and has additionally studied the emergence and spread of such pathogens as SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis C virus, myxoma virus, Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus and Yersinia pestis, among many others.

Dr. Holmes is currently a Professor in the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney. In 2003 he was awarded the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London and in 2015 was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Dr. Holmes previous appointments include the Verne M. Willaman Chair in the Life Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, USA, and Affiliate Member of the Fogarty International Centre (2005-2012), National Institutes of Health, USA. From 1999-2004 he was Fellow of New College, Oxford. He is also an Honorary Visiting Professor at Fudan University, Shanghai. In 2021 he received the (Australian) Prime Minister's Prize for Science.

Dr. Holmes is the author of 691 peer-reviewed papers and two books including The Evolution and Emergence of RNA Viruses (Oxford University Press, 2009).