Prof. Nicholas R. Casewell is the Acting Head of Tropical Disease Biology, Head of the Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, and Chair of Tropical Disease Biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Liverpool (BSc. in Tropical Disease Biology), during which time he also studied at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. His interest in snake venom research developed at this point, ultimately resulting in him undertaking PhD studies at Bangor University, where he studied the composition, evolution and immunology of saw-scaled viper venoms and their antivenoms. The results of his PhD research saw him nominated as a finalist for the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution’s young researcher prize, the Walter M. Fitch Award, in 2011. After this, he became Antivenom Manager for the UK-based manufacturing company MicroPharm Ltd., working on a commercial and academic collaboration project with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Prof. Casewell's research focus is on the mechanisms by which variations in venom (toxin) composition are generated and how such variations can be circumvented during the development of new therapeutics for snakebites. He has published over 70 papers on venoms and antivenoms and serves on the Editorial Boards of Toxins and PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. His research is funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society, the Medical Research Council, DFID, and NIHR.
