Retired Prof of Medical Microbiology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
David Livermore began his career in 1980 as Research Assistant at the then London Hospital Medical College, working for a PhD ‘On the side’. By 1994 he’d risen to Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology. In 1997 he moved to the UK Public Health Laboratory Service, subsequently Public Health England, swiftly becoming Director of its Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring and Reference Laboratory. He remained until 2011, when he transferred to the University of East Anglia as Professor of Medical Microbiology. Over 40 years he researched and helped to define the evolving epidemiology and molecular detail of antimicrobial resistance, particularly in respect of cephalosporins and carbapenems. He has authored over 500 papers and appears on Clarivate’s ‘Most Cited’ list. He has edited for multiple journals and, until 2021, he served on the UK Government’s Advisory Committees on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Infection. Now semi-retired, he continues to consult for the medical industry on antibiotic development and rapid diagnostics. Through the COVID-19 pandemic he was a consistent critic of lockdown policies, arguing publicly that they were disproportionate and did great societal harm, also that vaccination of children against COVID-19 was unwarranted and ethically dubious. Outside work Prof Livermore has walked the most of the perimeter of the UK, with just a narrowing (but convoluted!) ‘gap’ from Ardrossan to Cape Wrath.