Degree(s)

MA Human Sciences, University of Oxford; PhD Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge

Research interests

Virus evolution from a scale of weeks (within a single patient) to millennia (between humans and Neanderthals). Host-virus interactions, including T cell responses to DNA viruses after organ transplantation.

Teaching Interests

Humans in Biological Perspective (Part I PBS, Archaeology & HSPS) since 2013. Part II Pathology research projects.

Awards and prizes

Singapore Challenge ‘Science of Future Cities’ Distinguished Award, 2015

Publications

Selected publications

Ancient Viruses: How infectious diseases arrived in the colonial Americas. Pimenoff & Houldcroft. eLife, 2021.

Assessing anti-HCMV cell mediated immune responses in transplant recipients and healthy controls using a novel functional assay. Houldcroft et al. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2020.

Use of whole-genome sequencing of adenovirus in immunocompromised paediatric patients to identify nosocomial transmission and mixed-genotype infection. Houldcroft et al. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2018.

Inferring the hominin origin of herpes simplex virus 2 from fossil, epidemiological and phylogenetic data. Underdown, Kumar & Houldcroft. Virus Evolution, 2017.

A full list of publications can be found on Google Scholar https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=_RNQxfYAAAAJ&hl=en

Other interests

Senior Treasurer, Cambridge University Trampolining Club