14 Jun 2021
RVC’s professor of experimental parasitology is director of a one health project working on safer and sustainable meat and egg production, and has attracted grants of more than £40 million for various research.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
An RVC professor has been awarded a CBE for her services to animal health in the Queen’s birthday honours.
Fiona Tomley – professor of experimental parasitology at the RVC, and director of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) One Health Poultry Hub – has secured more than £40 million of grant funding for both the RVC and other partners, and has published more than 140 scientific papers.
Prof Tomley studied bacteriology and virology at The University of Manchester, and completed her PhD there in 1980.
After working as a virology postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, Prof Tomley has championed a one health approach and was appointed director of the UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub in 2019, conducting research to understand and reduce transmission of zoonotic diseases from chickens to humans.
Working with 27 partner institutions across 10 countries, and more than 200 researchers, Prof Tomley is focusing her work on how safer and more sustainable chicken meat and egg production can be supported, especially in south and south-east Asia.
On the award, Prof Tomley said: “I am both surprised and thrilled at this news. I always felt lucky to be born into a generation with access to state-supported university education, and to have parents who encouraged me to pursue a dream of ‘doing science’ when many women from a similar background were actively deterred from having careers.
“The past year has once again highlighted that understanding the root causes, detection, prevention and treatment of infectious disease is critically important. I hope this will stimulate the next generation of women, and men, to pursue the most exciting, challenging and rewarding of careers.
“Science may not be everything, but as Rosalind Franklin said, ‘Science, for me, gives a partial explanation for life. In so far as it goes, it is based on fact, experience and experiment’.”
RVC principal Stuart Reid said: “I am absolutely delighted that Prof Tomley has been recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours. Her contribution to the sector has been, and continues to be, outstanding.
“I can think of no more fitting accolade or more deserving individual. As a researcher, mentor and leader, Fiona is role model for all young academics, but particularly for women in science.
“It is a privilege to work with her and this award is great news for her discipline, for the RVC, but most of all, for Fiona and those closest to her.”
