Ab Osterhaus | Director of Research Center For Emerging Infections and Zoonoses and Professor
University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover

Albert Osterhaus is one of the world's leading virologists and his group was the first to identify human infection with the avian influenza strain H5N1. After qualifying as a veterinarian, Albert Osterhaus moved into research and graduated from Utrecht University in his native Netherlands in 1978 with a PhD in virology. Dr. Osterhaus is currently Professor of Virology, Medical Faculty, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (since 1993); Professor of Environmental Virology, Veterinary Faculty, State University Utrecht (since 1990); Director of the National Influenza Center (NIC), Rotterdam (since 1993); Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Rotterdam (since 1995); Member of the Dutch Health Council (since 1995); Chairman of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI) (since 2000). He also holds leading positions in the two commercial companies he co-founded in The Netherlands: ViroClinics BV and ViroNative BV. Dr. Osterhaus is a member of numerous professional societies, holds editorial positions for scientific publications, is the winner of scientific awards, holds several patents, has been the supervisor and mentor of more than 30 PhD students, and has held more than 60 consultancy positions. Over the last 20 years, Dr. Osterhaus has identified more than a dozen "new" viral pathogens and has authored more than 650 scientific papers. He is particularly interested in viruses that cross species barriers, are highly pathogenic and which cause disease globally - viruses such as HIV, SARS CoV and influenza viruses.