In addition to the Board of Trustees, the membership elect four Secretaries who have defined areas of responsibility. These are not Trustee positions, and they will not sit on the Board, although they report to the Board, and may be asked on occasion to attend Board meetings to provide activity reports. These roles are: Public Engagement Secretary, Education & Careers Secretary, Groups Secretary and Congress Secretary. The Secretaries have no legal obligation for the Society, nor do they have the power to make budgetary decisions, without approval from the Board. They may however, in the case of the Congress Secretary and Groups Secretary, be asked to chair relevant committees as required (e.g. Congress Committee or Groups Committee), and the Public Engagement Secretary and Education & Careers Secretary will be members of Forum.
Education & Careers Secretary
Donald Palmer (2020-2024)
The Education & Careers Secretary works to enhance education and careers of those working in the field of immunology (especially in the UK). Working especially with universities and research institutes, the Secretary supports immunology curriculum development in science and medicine at undergraduate and postgraduate levels with relevant materials, courses and events.
Groups Secretary
Mark Travis (2021 – 2025)
The Groups Secretary works to develop the Regional & Affinity Groups network and programme of meetings. They coordinate the review of meeting applications and bids for funds, working closely with the BSI team, and reviews applications for travel awards and other bursaries as required.
Congress Secretary
Mark Coles (2021 – 2025)
The Congress Secretary works to develop the scientific programme for the BSI Congress, chairing the Congress Committee, and overseeing the call for session proposals. They coordinate the selection and timetabling of parallel, plenary and additional sessions, communicating with speakers and organisers via the BSI team.
Public Engagement Secretary
Matthias Eberl (2023 – 2026)
The overall role of the Public Engagement Secretary is to play a key part in the strategic development of the BSI’s public engagement initiatives and to liaise with key members of staff.