Dr Megan Griffiths
- Affiliate Researcher (School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine)
email:
Megan.Griffiths@glasgow.ac.uk
SBOHVM, Graham Kerr Building
Research interests
General Research Interests:
My interests lie broadly in the epidemiology and ecology of infectious diseases in wildlife. I focus on developing mechanistic models of virus transmission and using data from field studies to parameterise and validate these models, currently in the study system of vampire bats in South America, with the Streicker Group.
PhD Research:
My PhD at the University of Glasgow (2018-2022) investigated a betaherpesvirus of vampire bats, and its suitability for use as a viral vector for a transmissible vaccine against vampire bat transmitted rabies virus. I used molecular and genetic deep sequencing methods to characterise the virus genome, its prevalence in vampire bats, and its geographic distribution and diversity across Peru. I then repurposed my deep sequencing data to fit models of herpesvirus transmission and simulate its application as a vaccine. Read all about it here.
Current Research:
My current post-doctoral research aims to describe the transmission of a bat-specific influenza virus (H18N11) within vampire bats, using a multi-year serology dataset to answer questions regarding viral persistence and temporal fluctuations.
Other interests:
I am involved in various outreach/engagement activities, including contributing to Glasgow Science Festival activities, and an ongoing collaboration with the Glasgow Science Centre to produce an exhibition introducing visitors to the world of bat disease research.
Find out more about my work in these videos and blog posts:
- Video summary of my PhD project
- Presentation on Transmissible Vaccines from EEID 2023
- Nature Microbiology Community Blog Post
- PLOS Biologue Blog Post
Research groups
Professional activities & recognition
Selected international presentations
- 2023: EEID (Penn State College)
- 2022: IBRC (Austin, TX)