Fellowship Scheme

In May 2005, an exciting new Fellowship Scheme was launched to develop the capacity of VLA to perform at the cutting edge. The concept, funded by commercial profits, was introduced to enhance key activities in both non-science and science disciplines.

VLA has traditionally been very effective at development through collaboration and through extensive investment in staff training under the ‘Investors in People’ banner. However, the opportunity to recruit new blood in business critical areas to give added impetus to development is seen as a powerful tool to move VLA forward.

The scope of the scheme is defined by business critical needs defined within the VLA Corporate Plan with the Fellowships focusing upon current and predicted development needs to enhance our skills base and develop critical mass on an agency-wide basis. By definition, the Fellowships will be sustainable in the longer term and provide skills appropriate to tackle future critical business needs.

VLA’s first two Fellows were appointed in 2007; Farzana Nazir has been working as a business analyst on VLA’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) while the focus of Simon Graham’s Fellowship is on viral immunology and vaccination.

What were you working on before you came to VLA?

I graduated from the University of Surrey in summer 2006 after studying for a BSc Honours in Business Computing.

While studying at university, I was also working for the Royal Borough of Kingston, Community Care Services where I was responsible for collating and providing mental health statistics. I also implemented and maintained the department’s MS Access course booking system.

I joined the VLA IT Unit as a Business Analyst in IT Services Orientated Architecture in January 2007.

What is your area of expertise?

I have developed a thorough knowledge and experience of the software development life cycle. I am able to analyse systems and business processes and identify areas where business process automation can streamline workflow. I also write and execute system test scripts, conduct user acceptance testing, and provide training to users.

I have experience of conducting post implementation reviews by interviewing key stakeholders and identifying lessons learned and critical success factors for future IT developments. Working at VLA has introduced me to the impact of emergency disease outbreaks on the delivery of projects and services.

Why did you choose to come to VLA?

I wanted the opportunity to develop my skills in business process analysis and modelling. I was keen to be involved in high profile projects which would enable me to influence the outcome and direction of the work.

What is the project you are working on?

I am currently working on LIMS for Avian Virology. The overall aim of the project is to implement and consolidate the Virology Department’s scientific business processes onto VLA’s SampleManager System. This will initially focus on the Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory, Endemic Diseases and International Trade work streams. The move from paper to an automated system will streamline VLA’s business processes and improve efficiency.

I am Change Manager to support the Avian Virology Unit’s move to the corporate system. I ensure the design requirements adequately reflect the defined business processes and fully support all aspects of the Unit’s functions.

How is the project progressing?

The project is progressing well although the target date for completion has been pushed back due to the AI, FMD and bluetongue outbreaks! Implementation is almost complete and the system is currently undergoing testing in preparation for user acceptance testing.

Are there any results or outcomes to report on?

The project has highlighted the wide variety of activities and processes that are carried out in the different work streams in the Avian Virology Unit. There will be a further phase of the project, which includes the review of the exotic viruses work stream and to apply benefits identified from the current phase. Work was successfully completed on the Avian Virology Virus Isolates Repository project in August 2007.

What were you working on before you came to VLA?

I previously worked at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya. At ILRI, I worked as an immunologist in a large multidisciplinary research team who were working towards the development of a subunit vaccine against the protozoan parasite, Theileria parva. This causes East Coast fever and is a major killer of African cattle.

I joined the VLA Virology Department as a Research Fellow in Applied Cellular and Molecular Immunology in January 2007.

What is your area of expertise?

My area of expertise is in veterinary immunology and vaccinology. My major interests lie in understanding the basis of protective immunity against infectious diseases and how this information can be exploited to develop new and improved vaccination strategies.

Why did you choose to come to VLA?

I was attracted to the Fellowship at VLA because it offered an exciting opportunity to work across disease models and in a variety of host species. I also welcomed the prospect of working collaboratively to build upon existing research areas and develop new areas.

What is the project you are working on?

I am currently involved in several projects:

• Working with VLA’s retrovirus group investigating the cellular tropism of the bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). Understanding the cellular tropism of BIV will help to build our knowledge of the pathogenesis of the virus and may provide a much needed system for efficient virus isolation.
• Collaborating with the pestivirus group on two major Defra projects; one on the immunopathogenesis of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) and the other on the development of strategies for the control of classical swine fever (CSF).
  
  The BVD research aims to characterize the specificity of T cell responses from cattle immune to BVD and determine the immunogenicity of BVD virus antigens which should inform efforts to develop improved vaccines.
  
  The CSF project aims to determine how quickly vaccination will provide protection against viral transmission, and immunological analyses will hopefully help our understanding of the mechanisms that underpin this protection.
• Leading a new project, funded by VLA’s Seedcorn Programme, to establish an in vitro platform for the evaluation of targeted vaccine antigen delivery systems. The aim is to develop an in vitro bovine system with which to evaluate a number of vaccine delivery technologies that have shown promise in rodent models but for which data in humans and veterinary species is lacking.
• Collaborating with VLA’s TB immunology research group, evaluating the effects of a novel synthetic phosphoantigen with adjuvant potential. Phosphoantigens are mycobacterial non-peptide antigens that may enhance the immunogenicity of subunit candidate vaccines for tuberculosis.

How are the projects going?

The projects are progressing well. I have successfully established flow cytometry and a number of other techniques to study immune responses in cattle and pigs and have trained colleagues in my department.

The TB immunology research group has been very supportive and provided equipment and reagents to support the establishment of some of these assays. These techniques are now being successfully deployed in the various projects.

Are there results or outcomes to report on?

All projects are now generating interesting data although in some cases the data is providing more questions than answers! It is anticipated that we will start to publish in peer reviewed scientific journals later this year.