His area of interest is the filarial nematode diseases of humans, which include elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) and river blindness (onchocerciasis): two of the leading causes of global disability. His research has focused on the role of Wolbachia-bacterial endosymbionts, as drivers of inflammatory disease and targets for antibiotic therapy. Mark is the Director the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases at LSTM and former president of the British Society for Parasitology. Mark obtained his PhD in Parasite Immunology from the University of Keele. He joined the Wellcome Centre for Research in Parasitic Infections at Imperial College to work on molecular vaccines for onchocerciasis where he was awarded Fellowships from the MRC and Wellcome Trust.rt and Craftwork created by the service users to local businesses and organisations in the Liverpool area. Paul has a Masters degree in Social Enterprise Management. Paul travels regularly to support project teams internationally with financing.