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Imperial researchers working across infectious disease, genomics, neuroscience and cardiovascular medicine are among those recognised in this year’s Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship.

Seven Imperial professors are among the 60 exceptional biomedical and health scientists elected to the Academy’s prestigious Fellowship in 2026, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to advancing medical science and improving health through discovery research, translational innovation and clinical impact. 

The new Fellows’ work spans areas including immunology, virus genomics, addiction, bacterial vaccinology, nuerodegenerative disease, computational biology and precision cardiovascular medicine. 

OBE FMedSci FRS, Dean of Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine, said: “I’m thrilled to see seven Imperial colleagues elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship this year. Their election reflects the exceptional breadth of expertise across our community. 

“Through discovery science, clinical research and translational innovation, they are advancing understanding, improving patient care and helping to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing society today.” 

Professor Andrew Morris CBE FRSE PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “It is a privilege to welcome this outstanding new cohort to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Each of our new Fellows has been recognised by their peers for exceptional achievement and for the influence their work has had in advancing medical science and improving health. 

“The diversity of disciplines represented this year reflects the richness of modern medical science and the value of collaboration across fields. At a time when health challenges are increasingly complex, the Academy’s Fellowship provides a trusted, independent platform for scientific leaders to work together, champion excellence, and help ensure research delivers real benefits for people and communities.” 

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Tuesday 30 June 2026. 

Professor Daniel Altmann – Professor of Immunology, Department of immunology and Inflammation

is an immunologist and recognised leader in human leucocyte antigens (HLA), the key human immune response genes, immunogenetics and T lymphocyte function across bacterial, viral and autoimmune diseases. His recent work focuses on the health burden and shared pathways of post viral sequelae, including Long Covid, with a programme to decode the “Rosetta Stone” of shared mechanisms in Long Covid and Myalgia Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). This builds on contributions made during the pandemic with Rosemary Boyton, addressing urgent questions on SARS-CoV-2 immunity, including the nature, breadth, cross-reactivity and durability of protective immunity.   

During the pandemic, he contributed to international media and policy discussions. As an immunogenetics researcher, he has made considerable advances to the understanding of HLA immune response genes in clinical disease. At a time when many details of these genes and their functions were poorly understood, he was one of the pioneers of HLA gene expression studies. Professor Altmann has been committed to global health collaborations, with programmes in Vietnam, Thailand and Brazil as well as training immunologists in Ethiopia.  

Professor Altmann said: “It’s a great honour to be elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences - an institution of such huge talents. I consider it very much a tribute to the outstanding scientists with whom I collaborate, as well as the patient communities who are so involved in our work and all we do.”  

Professor Paul Kellam - Professor of Virus Genomics, Department of Infectious Disease 

is Professor of Virus Genomics in Imperial’s Department of Infectious Disease and CSO of RQ Biotechnology Ltd, whose research spans academia and industry in virology and the translational development of new therapies. He has played a leading role in advancing understanding of viral evolution, pathogen genomics and antiviral immunity, with research that has directly informed responses to major global outbreaks including influenza, MERS, Ebola and COVID-19. Professor Kellam also pursues translational innovation, helping to accelerate the development of vaccines and antibody therapies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped establish collaborative antibody development programmes that contributed to new therapeutic approaches for vulnerable patients, leading to the formation of RQ Bio, a UK biotech developing long-acting antibodies to prevent virus infection.  

Professor Kellam said “It is an honour to be elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Science has always been a collaborative endeavour, and I have been extraordinarily fortunate to work alongside brilliant colleagues, students and partners across academia, healthcare and industry over many years. What continues to inspire me is the extraordinary pace at which science can improve lives when people come together across disciplines and borders. I look forward to working with colleagues at the Academy to advance further the priorities of supporting UK science to improve the lives of patients and strengthen our global competitiveness”. 

Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes, Professor of Addiction Biology, Department of Brain Sciences 

is a Professor in Addiction Biology in the Department of Brain Sciences and a Consultant Psychiatrist at Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust.  Her research uses neuroimaging and neuropharmacology to better understand the brain mechanisms underlying addiction to improve treatment outcomes with a focus on alcohol and opiate dependence. She also conducts proof-of-concept clinical trials to translate these findings into clinic.  

Since 2023, she is Chair of the UK Government's Addiction Healthcare Goals, Office for Life Sciences,whose aim is to improve treatment outcomes for those with drug and/or alcohol addiction through developing innovative approaches and research infrastructure. She trained in medicine at Oxford, completed her PhD at Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.  

Professor Lingford-Hughes said: “I am very honoured and humbled to have been elected a Fellow to the Academy of Medical Sciences. This recognition is a reflection of the commitment and perseverance from many people I have worked with in addiction science to improve treatment outcomes and address the immense unmet needs. I would also like to thank everyone who has mentored me throughout my career. I look forward to contributing to the Academy’s important work, particularly in supporting and advancing careers in clinical academia and in addiction science.” 

Professor Mariagrazia Pizza, Professor of Microbiology, Department of Life Sciences 

is Professor of Microbiology in the Department of Life Sciences and Co-Director of the Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology (CBRB) at Imperial. Her research has made major contributions to the field of bacterial vaccinology, including the discovery and development of the Meningococcal B vaccine through a reverse vaccinology approach. The vaccine is now approved in more than 50 countries and has been used for the routine immunisation of newborns in the UK since 2015. Her current work focuses on the development of innovative vaccines against antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens, particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae. 

Professor Pizza said: “I am deeply honoured to be elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. This recognition reflects the work, dedication and creativity of the many students, postdocs, collaborators and colleagues I have had the privilege to work with throughout my career. I look forward to continuing to advance research in bacterial vaccines and antimicrobial resistance together with the wider scientific community."

Professor David Sharp, Professor of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences 

is a Professor of Neurology in the Department of Brain Sciences and Centre Director of , where he focuses on harnessing technology to improve the lives of people living with dementia. He is also Scientific Director of the °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ Clinical Imaging Facilityand Associate Director of the Imperial Centre for Injury Studies.  

His research uses cognitive neuroscience and advanced neuroimaging to investigate how brain injury and neurodegeneration affect brain network function, with a particular focus on memory and attention. He has explored how treatments for cognitive impairment can be personalised, and his current work centres on neurotechnology development for dementia and traumatic brain injury. 

Professor Sharp said: “I am honoured to have been elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences, and I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the many outstanding researchers with whom I have had the privilege to work. Our research has focused on understanding the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury, its relationship to neurodegenerative disease, and the use of new technologies in dementia care. The work is translational and human-focused, so I would also like to thank the people affected by these conditions who have participated in our research and who continue to work closely with us today.” 

Professor Michael Sternberg, Director of the Centre for Integrative Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Life Sciences

is Professor of Structural Bioinformatics and Director of the Centre for Integrative Systems Biology and Bioinformatics (CISBIO) at Imperial’s Faculty of Natural Sciences. His research has helped pioneer computational approaches to understanding biological systems, with major contributions to predicting protein structure and function, modelling molecular interactions, and understanding the impact of disease-associated genetic variants. 

Through CISBIO, Professor Sternberg has championed interdisciplinary research bringing together scientists from fields including biology, computing, mathematics and physics to tackle complex biomedical challenges. His work has advanced the development of bioinformatics and systems biology approaches that are now widely used across biomedical research and precision medicine. 

Michael said: “I am deeply honoured to be elected a Fellow of The Academy of Medical Sciences.  This Fellowship recognises the impact of the work of my group in developing protein modelling resources for use by the biomedical and bioscience communities. Our web servers have been used by over one hundred thousand researchers worldwide to predict the structure of proteins and evaluate the impact of genetic changes. Our computational resources have guided the discovery of novel pharmaceuticals including therapeutic antibodies and the design of vaccines in both academic and commercial organisations. More generally, the award of this Fellowship highlights the ever increasing role of bioinformatics in medical research.” 

Professor James Ware, Professor of Cardiovascular and Genomic Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute

is Professor of Cardiovascular and Genomic Medicine at Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute. His research brings together human genetics, molecular cardiology, and precision medicine to understand the impact of genetic variation on the heart and circulation, and to use genome information to improve patient care. His work has helped define the genetic basis of cardiomyopathies and arrhythmia syndromes, improving how genetic variants are interpreted, and accelerating the integration of whole-genome sequencing, rare variant discovery and polygenic risk into routine cardiovascular care. 

Alongside his Imperial role, he leads the Cardiovascular Genomics and Precision Medicine Group at the . He also serves as an honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Brompton and Hammersmith Hospitals, where he specialises in the diagnosis and management of inherited cardiac conditions. 

"I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as a Fellow. The fellowship comprises many individuals whom I admire and respect professionally and personally, and it is a great privilege to be elected to join them and work with them.  I am also very mindful that impactful medical science is team science, and this distinction recognises the contributions of dozens of exceptionally talented and dedicated team members and collaborators. 

“Importantly, as one of the national academies, the Academy of Medical Sciences is a working organisationwith a mission to create an open and progressive research sector and improve health in the UK and beyond.  I look forward to working with colleagues to support academic career development opportunities, to create a sustainable research environment that allows a diversity of researchers to flourish, and to advance health and improve lives."