Houghton Trust Trustee

Professor Roberto La Ragione

Professor Roberto La Ragione is Chair of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Head of the School of Biosciences and Medicine at the University of Surrey.

Roberto’s research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, rapid diagnostics and developing novel interventions including vaccines and probiotics.

His research also extends to understanding how the gut microflora changes during health and disease.

He has led a number of commercial, BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, Defra, Innovate, Charity and EU projects, securing competitive grants totalling circa £21M.

He has published over 190 peer reviewed publications in the area of host-microbe interaction, with a particular emphasis on foodborne pathogens and endemic diseases of poultry.

Roberto gained the FRCPath in 2010 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and Institute of Biomedical Science, and an Associate Member of the European College of Veterinary Microbiology.

Roberto is the Chair of the RCPath Veterinary Pathology SAC, Chair of Trustees for Humanimal Trust, a member of the FSA AMR Committee and a member of the APHA Science Advisory Board.

In 2020 he was awarded Honorary Associateship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Roberto is the past president of the Veterinary Research Club and Med-Vet-Net Association.

He has served the Houghton Trust as member (2015 - 2022) and Trustee (2022 - present).