New BSI committee members 2025

BSI Board of Trustees

• Professor Siobhán Burns - Clinical Research Secretary and Trustee

We are delighted to announce that Professor Siobhán Burns has been appointed as the new Clinical Research Secretary and Trustee of BSI. This role is vital in supporting and advancing clinical research within immunology, fostering collaboration between clinicians and researchers, and ensuring that the clinical voice is well-represented within the Society’s strategic direction. Professor Burns is a leading clinical academic in Primary Immunodeficiency (PID), holding the position of Professor of Translational Immunology at University College London and Honorary Consultant at the Royal Free London Hospital. With a career that spans basic science through to clinical trials, she has led major research initiatives, including the NIHR INTREPID project, and contributed internationally through organisations such as ClinGen and ESID. As Clinical Research Secretary, Professor Burns aims to strengthen clinical research networks, champion multidisciplinary collaboration, and create new training and development opportunities for emerging researchers. Her experience and commitment make her an excellent addition to the BSI’s leadership.

• Professor Lucy Walker - Treasurer and Trustee 

We are pleased to announce that Professor Lucy Walker has been appointed as the new Treasurer and Trustee of the BSI. This role is central to ensuring the Society remains financially robust, transparent, and accountable to its members, while also contributing to strategic decisions as part of the Board of Trustees. Professor Walker brings over 25 years of experience as a dedicated member of the BSI and currently serves as Professor of Immune Regulation at University College London. She has extensive expertise in managing substantial research budgets, including in large-scale, multi-institutional European consortia, and has chaired high-level panels for the MRC, Wellcome, and NC3Rs. Her board-level experience and international collaborations, including coordinating European seminar series and leading global scientific meetings, reflect a commitment to both excellence and inclusivity. Passionate about equity, mentorship, and public engagement, Lucy will bring energy, expertise, and integrity to her role in guiding the Society’s future.

BSI Member Representative Forum

• Dr Alexandra Dvorscek - Early Career Representative

We’re delighted to welcome Dr Alexandra (Ali) Dvorscek as the new Early Career Representative on the BSI Member Representative Forum. In this role, Ali will represent the views and needs of early career researchers (ECRs) within the Society, helping to shape strategy and ensure that BSI activities reflect the priorities of its ECR community. Ali is a postdoc at Imperial College London with a strong background in building inclusive research communities. She previously held leadership roles in the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology, where she founded a successful ECR Mentor-Mentee Programme. At the BSI, she plans to launch a national ECR network to foster connection, collaboration and career development. Ali brings energy, fresh ideas and a deep commitment to supporting early career researchers across the UK.

• Dr James McLaren - Wales representative

We are pleased to announce that Dr James McLaren has been elected as the Wales Representative on the BSI Forum. The Forum serves as an important advisory body to the BSI, ensuring that regional perspectives are heard and reflected in the Society’s national activities and strategic planning. In his new role, Dr McLaren will represent the immunology community in Wales, championing the needs and priorities of local members while contributing to broader BSI initiatives. A Senior Lecturer in Immunology at Cardiff University, his research focuses on adaptive immune responses to viral and bacterial infections. With a long-standing membership in the BSI, Dr McLaren brings valuable insight into how the Society supports early career researchers, funds conference attendance, and fosters collaboration through regional and national events. Passionate about strengthening support for researchers transitioning to independence, he is committed to enhancing opportunities for career development and bringing fresh ideas and local experience to the BSI’s future direction.

BSI Congress Committee

• Professor Clare Bennett - General Member

We’re pleased to announce that Professor Clare Bennett has been elected as one of the new general members of the BSI Congress Committee. Clare brings with her over two decades of active engagement with the Society and a distinguished research career focused on the immune system’s interaction with barrier tissues, particularly the skin. Based at the UCL Cancer Institute, her team’s pioneering work on Langerhans cells has significantly advanced our understanding of skin immunity and disease.

Her cross-disciplinary expertise, spanning immunology and cancer research, positions her to bring a translational and innovative perspective to the Congress programme. Clare is also a committed educator and mentor, shaping future immunologists through UCL’s MSc modules and outreach work with disadvantaged school pupils. Her experience in national and international research funding panels, and ongoing engagement with patients and the public, will further enrich the committee’s work. We’re excited to welcome her contribution to shaping an inclusive, dynamic, and forward-thinking BSI Congress.

• Professor Victor Tybulewicz - General Member

We’re also delighted to welcome Professor Victor Tybulewicz to the BSI Congress Committee as a newly elected general member. Victor brings a wealth of experience in conference organisation, having led numerous high-profile international meetings over the past 15 years, including FASEB and Keystone conferences, as well as specialised workshops. His strong background in molecular immunology, particularly in lymphocyte signalling pathways adds valuable depth to the committee and will complement existing expertise across cellular and clinical domains.

Victor is passionate about maintaining the BSI Congress as a leading international forum for immunology research. He is committed to curating a dynamic and diverse scientific programme that showcases the most exciting developments across the field. With his proven track record in delivering world-class scientific meetings and his deep understanding of cutting-edge molecular research, Victor is ideally placed to help ensure the BSI Congress continues to reflect the vibrancy, breadth, and excellence of immunology today.

• Dr Nicholas Provine - General Member

Dr Nicholas Provine has also been elected as a General Member of the BSI Congress Committee, bringing with him a distinct combination of scientific breadth and early-career insight. As a Wellcome-funded Career Development Fellow at the University of Oxford and group leader at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, Nicholas represents the perspective of researchers in the formative stages of establishing their independent careers and offers valuable input into how the Congress can support others navigating this crucial transition. Passionate about education and training, he has played key roles in Oxford’s MSc in Integrated Immunology and mentored several MSc and PhD students, underscoring his dedication to developing the next generation of immunologists.

Scientifically, Nicholas’s work spans B and T cell biology, innate–adaptive crosstalk, tissue immunology, and vaccine science, with expertise in both human and murine models and cutting-edge methods such as single-cell multiomics. His interdisciplinary approach positions him well to shape a Congress programme that is inclusive, forward-looking, and collaborative, reflecting the full diversity and innovation of modern immunology.

• Dr Régis Joulia - Early Career Member

Régis Joulia joins the BSI Congress Committee as an Early Career Member, bringing extensive experience in immunology and a strong commitment to supporting fellow ECRs. A BSI member since 2018, Régis moved to London after completing his PhD in Toulouse, where he studied mast cell degranulation. He has continued this research through postdoctoral work at Queen Mary University of London and now at the National Heart and Lung Institute, where he investigates the role of mast cells in lung vasculature during respiratory disease, supported by a Wellcome Career Development Award.

Régis has a solid track record in imaging inflammation and has received several BSI travel grants. He also contributes to the editorial board of Clinical and Experimental Immunology through a BSI ECR initiative. Passionate about strengthening UK-European research ties, he aims to ensure ECR voices are heard and to foster greater international collaboration through the Congress Committee.

BSI Clinical Immunology Professional Network (BSI-CIPN) Steering Group

• Dr David Lowe - Comittee General Member

We are delighted to announce that Dr David Lowe has been elected to the BSI-CIPN Programme Committee, which plays a central role in shaping the BSI-CIPN Conference. The committee is responsible for developing a balanced, clinically relevant programme by reviewing session proposals, inviting speakers, identifying key themes, and helping to deliver high-quality content that reflects the breadth of clinical immunology. Dr Lowe is exceptionally well-suited to this role, having trained in Infectious Diseases and General Medicine before specialising in Clinical Immunology at the Royal Free London, where he leads the care of a large cohort of patients with immune deficiency. He works across multiple specialties, including Respiratory, Hepatology, Gastroenterology, and Dermatology, offering a unique cross-disciplinary perspective. He is passionate about incorporating themes such as chronic infections, holistic care, multimorbidity, and palliative support into the conference, and is committed to ensuring that the meeting remains inclusive, practical, and forward-thinking for the immunology community.