Professor Diana Williams, BSc (Hons), PhD
Professor of Veterinary Immunoparasitology
Academic Lead
Diana obtained a BSc (Hons) in Zoology and a PhD in parasite immunology from the University of Nottingham, spent three years at the Cambridge Vet School working on calf pneumonia before going to the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya where she spent eight years working on control of bovine trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness or nagana), one of the most serious diseases affecting cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. She was appointed lecturer in veterinary parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1994 and moved to the School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, in 2008 as Professor of Veterinary Immunoparasitology.
Diana is head of the Veterinary Parasitology Research Group and leads a large research programme which aims to improve control of Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) in sheep, cattle and horses.
Paul Gilmore, BSc (Hons)
Teaching and Research Technician
Technical Lead in Diagnostic Veterinary Parasitology
Paul has a Medical Microbiology degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Following a spell of work in the private sector, he was appointed as a diagnostic technician in Veterinary Parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and subsequently the School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool. He was trained by expert veterinary parasitologists Dr. John McGarry, Professor Diana Williams and Professor Sandy Trees and has many years experience in diagnostic veterinary parasitology.
Paul is responsible for the day to day running of the service.
Dr. John Graham-Brown BVSc, MSc, PhD, MRCVS
Lecturer
Clinical Advisor and Veterinary Associate
John has a veterinary degree from the University of Liverpool with an intercalated MSc in veterinary parasitology. In 2016 he obtained a PhD in veterinary parasitology studying bovine fasciolosis and currently works in the department of Livestock Health and Welfare.
Dr. Ben Makepeace, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD
Professor of Vector-Borne Diseases
Supporting scientist
Ben has a BSc in Biology with Oceanography from the University of Southampton, an MSc in Applied Parasitology & Medical Entomology from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), and a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Southampton. In 2001, he returned to LSTM as a postdoctoral scientist in the research group of Prof. Alexander (Sandy) Trees, where he studied the immunology and chemotherapy of onchocerciasis (river blindness) in Cameroon using a cattle model.
Ben joined the University of Liverpool in 2008 and now leads a research group dedicated to the study of the molecular biology and control of vector-borne diseases of humans and other animals, including onchocerciasis, scrub typhus and tick-borne diseases. He acts as an advisor on molecular diagnostics for LVPD.
Baron Trees, Professor Alexander 'Sandy' Trees, BVM&S, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Parasitology
Founder and former Academic Lead, now retired
Sandy qualified from Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 1969 and has a PhD on bovine babesiosis. In 1980 he was appointed Lecturer in Veterinary Parasitology at the University of Liverpool and became Head of the Parasite and Vector Biology Division at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1994. He was Dean of Veterinary Science at the University from 2001 to 2008 and President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons from 2009 to 2010.
Sandy is a world expert in Veterinary Parasitology. In a distinguished career, funded by over £15 million of external grants, he has produced 140 scientific papers and made major contributions to human and animal health through his research into a variety of parasitic diseases in temperate and tropical areas.
Professor Nicholas Evans BSc (Hons), PhD, FHEA
Professor of Veterinary Infection Biology
Consultant
Nick gained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and briefly worked for a diagnostics company (Provalis) before completing a University of Manchester CASE PhD in 2004, which largely focused on Microbial Genetics/Molecular Biology/Biochemistry and included industrial placements at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control.
Next, he joined the University of Liverpool as a Postdoctoral Researcher where he developed a keen interest in veterinary microbiology. He then gained a BBSRC ‘Postdoctoral Researcher Co-Investigator’ post at the School of Veterinary Science investigating host-pathogen interactions. Nick went on to be appointed as Lecturer in the University of Liverpool Department of Infection Biology in 2011 and gained a personnel chair in 2023. He leads a research group investigating spirochetal diseases.
During his PDRA posts Nick provided support for the Vetnostics service. He currently acts as a consultant for the LVPD Borrelia burgdorferi and Bartonella henselae tests, previously offered by Vetnostics.
Dr Alison Howell BVSc, PhD, MRCVS
Postdoctoral researcher
Clinical Advisor and Veterinary Associate
Alison qualified from the University of Liverpool Faculty of Veterinary Science and spent 5 years in private practice before returning to Liverpool in 2012 to do a PhD on the epidemiology of Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke). She currently works on projects aiming to improve the control of liver fluke and other parasitic and vector-borne diseases of livestock and horses.