Professor Giancarlo Biagini joined Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in 2001, following postdoctoral positions at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and the University of Cambridge. He was appointed Head of the Department of Tropical Disease Biology in 2020 and became Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation in 2023.

His research has been supported by over £70 million in competitive funding from major funders including the Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, EU, Innovate UK and Leverhulme. He has held three personal fellowships and published in excess of 100 peer-reviewed articles, along with patents for novel antimalarial and anti-tubercular compounds.

A recognised international leader in translational infection research, Giancarlo has led major global health consortia and contributes to shaping national and international research agendas. He serves on multiple peer review and advisory boards, including the Medical Research Council Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme Board, the British Standards Institution (BSI) Biotechnology Committee, and is an editor for the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

His translational research spans high-throughput screening through to candidate declaration, with co-development of enabling platforms for host–pathogen pharmacodynamics, infection-organoid models, and high-containment automated screening across malaria, tuberculosis and viral pathogens, including leadership of the Liverpool Robotic Infection Research Laboratory.

In 2021, he received a UK Research and Innovation Innovation Scholars Award to build sustainable academic–industry partnerships. In 2025, he was awarded the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Hemingway Medal for contributions to translational research. He maintains an active collaboration portfolio with UK SMEs, international product development partners and public-sector stakeholders.

As Director of LSTM’s Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, he leads the £9.8M Research England E3 investment, advancing a skilled, interdisciplinary research workforce with a focus on early-career development, disruptive technologies and translational infrastructure to tackle global infectious disease threats.

Professor Biagini’s research spans the biochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics of human pathogens, particularly plasmodium falciparum and mycobacterium tuberculosis. His fundamental work on parasite bioenergetics, drug transporters, and resistance mechanisms has informed therapeutic strategies and validated novel drug targets for malaria and TB.

He has led the development of translational research infrastructure in the UK, founding the Tropical Infectious Disease Consortium (LSTM, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Oxford, UK Health Security Agency, Pirbright, Science and Technology Facilities Council), which has generated over £60 million in follow-on funding from 60+ industry-linked projects and one spin-out. His work has contributed to global efforts in drug, vaccine, and diagnostic development.

Giancarlo has secured multiple institutional awards, including: the MRC Translational and Quantitative Skills Doctoral Training Programme, the MRC Skills Development Fellowship Programme, the LifeArc Translational Development Fund, the Wellcome ITPA and MRC Proximity to Discovery schemes.

These initiatives have trained over 60 PhD students, established an MRes and short courses in translational research, and supported early-career researchers through internal funding schemes like the Director Catalyst Fund.

Committed to equitable global health research, he has sustained long-standing collaborations across Africa and Southeast Asia, and with product development partners such as Medicines for Malaria Venture and the TB Alliance. He partners with SMEs and pharma leaders including GSK and AstraZeneca.

His portfolio bridges basic science and translational application, with a mission to deliver real-world solutions for disadvantaged populations through research excellence, strategic partnerships, and innovation.