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Christopher Aidan Gilligan CBE Sc.D (born January 9, 1953) is a British/Irish Professor of Mathematical Biology at Cambridge University and Fellow of King's College. He was formerly Head of the School of Biological Sciences until 2013. He is currently a trustee of the Natural History Museum and Chair of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.2

Education

Educated at St Mary's College Crosby, he then attended Keble College, Oxford, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Agricultural and Forest Sciences in 1974. He proceeded to Wolfson College, Oxford where he was awarded a D.Phil in Plant Pathology in 1978.

Research Interests

Chris Gilligan heads the Epidemiology and Modelling group at Cambridge University and his principal research interests are in the fields of epidemiology, ecology and mathematical biology. Current work is focused on establishing and testing a theoretical framework that identifies the mechanisms that control invasion, persistence, scaling and variability of epidemics within changing agricultural and natural landscapes. Applications range from large scale pandemics (sudden oak death, citrus canker, African Cassava mosaic virus),pesticide resistance and genetical control to biocontrol in sustainable agricultural systems, and the the design of intervention strategies for exotic pathogen threats to the UK. He has worked with the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the United States Department of Agriculture, and provided mathematical toolkits that help to predict and counteract problems from diseases of agricultural crops in developing and developed countries, as well as diseases of natural vegetation, including ash die back in the UK.

Professional Activities

Professor Gilligan has a range of national and international experience at senior level in setting and monitoring research Policy and outcomes, including membership of UK Research Council (BBSRC), adviser to UK Government Departments (Defra, SEERAD) and International Government Organisations (INRA, USDA). Whilst Chair of the Defra Science Advisory Council he chaired the UK Government Taskforce on Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity3 that reviewed risks present by new tree and plant pathogens in the UK. He is Chair of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability leadership Board and Co-Chair of the Cambridge University Global Food Security Inititative.4 Honours and Awards

Chris Gilligan has received the following honours and awards:

Professorial Research Fellow, BBSRC (UK National Research Council (2005-2010) R.W. Holley Lecturer, Cornell University (2012) Fisher Lecturer, Rothamsted Research (2009) Honorary Fellow, American Phytopathological Society (2005) President, British Society for Plant Pathology (2001) Professorial Fellow, Kings College, Cambridge (2000) SC.D., University of Cambridge (1999) Personal Chair, University of Cambridge (1999) Senior Research Fellow, Royal Society Leverhulme Trust (1998-1999) Honorary Research Fellow, Rothamsted Research (1998-2013) CBE for 'Service to Plant Health in the field of Epidemiology' in the Queens Birthday Honours 2015