Royal Society - Leeuwenhoek Lecture: Pathogen assassin: journey in microbiology

Meet world-leading researchers from universities and science institutions across the UK at the Royal Society’s public events of cutting-edge science. Tonight's lecture is "Pathogen assassin: a journey in microbiology" as the Royal Society Leeuwenhoek Prize Lecture 2026 delivered by Sir Michael Ferguson CBE FMedSci FRS.

This livestream event is free to join and requires prior registration with the Royal Society at the web address below.

https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2026/01/leeuwenhoek-prize-lecture/

SUMMARY
Pathogen assassin: a journey in microbiology. In scientific research, unexpected discoveries and connections are made along the way. Some examples of how microbiology informs human biology, and vice-versa, will be highlighted to illustrate this. The talk will explore how science can provide opportunities to make better, safer medicines and diagnostics for neglected infectious diseases. This will include a description of the complex journey by which new candidate medicines are discovered, optimised and tested, and the international collaborative networks required to span from the laboratory to the patient. Lastly, aspects of the social contract between science and scientists and their public and private stakeholders will be touched upon.

SPEAKER
Sir Mike Ferguson is Regius Professor of Life Sciences. He studied in Manchester, London, New York and Oxford before moving to the University of Dundee in 1988. He studies the surface molecular architectures of protozoan parasites and how these influence survival and infectivity. During these studies, Mike and colleagues discovered a new way by which proteins can be attached to cell surfaces, a mechanism which turns out to be widely used in Nature. Wishing to translate discoveries into new medicines, Mike and colleagues established a Drug Discovery Unit in 2006 which has delivered candidate drugs for a variety of infectious diseases. In addition, Mike’s team helped develop a simple diagnostic for human African sleeping-sickness. He also works to provide infrastructure needed to grow Life Sciences companies in an economically challenged part of the UK.

## Attending the event

• The event is free to join, please register via register via Eventbrite
• Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually

### Attending online

• The lecture can be attended in person at the Royal Society
• Please note that as this is a free event, we anticipate that not everyone who reserves tickets will use them and we therefore make more tickets available than there are seats. You are highly unlikely to be refused entry but please be aware that admission is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed. Please arrive early to secure a seat
• This event is free to join. Pre-bookable tickets are available on Eventbrite
• Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
• Doors will open at 6pm

Find travel and accessibility information on our website. Please email us with any access requirements or questions.

• You can take part in the live Q&A via Slido
• This event will be recorded (including the live Q&A) and the recording will be available on YouTube soon after the event

For all enquiries, please contact [awards@royalsociety.org](mailto:awards@royalsociety.org).