Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris MBBS, FRCPath, DPhil, FHKAM, FRCP, FRS

Professor Malik Peiris is a clinical and public health virologist with a particular interest in emerging virus disease at the animal-human interface using a “One Health” approach, including influenza, coronaviruses (SARS, MERS) and others. His current research encompasses the pathogenesis, innate immune responses, transmission, ecology and epidemiology of human and animal (poultry, swine, wild birds) influenza viruses.
His research has provided understanding on the emergence and pathogenesis of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus and on avian influenza viruses H5N1, H9N2 and H7N9. His collaborative research has provided evidence-based options for the control of these viruses in poultry and in humans. In 2003, he played a key role in the discovery that a novel coronavirus was the cause of SARS, its diagnosis and pathogenesis. Currently he is researching the recently emerged MERS coronavirus.
He coordinates a 5 year multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional Theme Based Research grant on “Influenza Transmission and Pathogenesis” from the Research Grants Council, Hong Kong. He is an investigator in the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) program of NIAID, National Institutes of Health, USA. He has an extensive collaborative research network globally.
He co-directs the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory at HKU and serves on many standing committees and ad-hoc advisory committees of the WHO and FAO. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2006, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2016 and Foreign Associate of National Academy of Sciences in 2017. He was awarded the Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, France (2017), Mahathir Science Award, Akademi Sains, Malaysia (2007) and Silver Bauhinia Star (S.B.S.), Hong Kong SAR (2008). He serves on the editorial boards of Lancet Infectious Diseases and Current Opinion in Virology.