Royal Society: Pathogens and the power of evolution

Basingstoke Science Cafe subscribers are invited to enjoy this in-person and livestream science talk from the Royal Society in London.

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 "Francis Crick Prize Lecture: Pathogens and the power of evolution". The Francis Crick Medal and Lecture 2026 is awarded to Professor Kayla King for contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology and genetics of infectious disease.

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/2026/10/francis-crick-prize-lecture/

SUMMARY
Why are some infections more harmful than others? Pathogens can have huge potential to evolve higher (or lower) virulence over short periods of time. In this lecture, Professor Kayla King will explore the rapid evolution of pathogens across the tree of life. Drawing on evolutionary theory, genome sequencing, and selection experiments in which bacterial and viral pathogens are passaged in the lab, she will reveal what drives these evolutionary changes in virulence, as well as the consequences for pathogen genomes and host health. Professor King will present examples of pathogens evolving within weeks in response to host immunity and warming temperatures.

The lecture will ultimately discuss the implications of her group’s research for predicting pathogen virulence and patterns of genomic evolution in a changing world. Amidst an increased risk of zoonoses jumping to protected species and humans, a better understanding of pathogen virulence evolution has never been more important.

SPEAKER
Professor Kayla King is an evolutionary biologist whose work focuses on the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of animal-pathogen interactions across the tree of life. Her research aims to unravel how traits, such as virulence and transmissibility, evolve in endemic and emerging pathogens, with implications for biodiversity conservation and getting ahead in the race against zoonoses. She is a Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair in the Departments of Zoology and Microbiology & Immunology at the University of British Columbia, as well as a Professorial Fellow in Biology, University of Oxford.

Professor King has received many honours, including the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada Arthur B. McDonald Prize (2024), Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Mid-Career Excellence Award (2023), Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal (2022), Linnean Society Bicentenary Medal (2020), Philip Leverhulme Prize for Biology (2018), and American Society of Naturalists Early Career Investigator Prize (2013).

## 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
• please register via Eventbrite for a ticket
• 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).