Researcher Spotlight: Nicola Stonehouse

In this interview, Nicola talks about her research into viruses, vaccine development, and why taking risks and not following a traditional academic path has shaped her science and her leadership.

Professor Nicola Stonehouse is a Professor in Molecular Virology in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her research focuses on how viruses replicate and assemble at a molecular level, helping scientists understand how infections spread and how they can be prevented. This work is supporting the development of safer, more effective vaccines with potential applications for global health.

Read the video transcript.

How would you describe your research in one sentence?

I’m interested in how viruses work and how understanding them better allows us to do something about preventing viral infections.

Tell us about your career story- how did you get into research?

I went to an ordinary comprehensive school in Essex. At that point I had very little aspiration beyond leaving Essex. Although I originally wanted to study medicine, I ended up applying for biological sciences. I absolutely loved my degree. It was my final year project that turned me on to research. Although I didn’t always enjoy practical classes, having free rein over a project, deciding when I worked and what I did, was amazing.

I then started a PhD in yeast genetics but I left after a year. For me, it was the wrong place, wrong subject, wrong time. After some reflection, I worked as a technician in oral biology, and that was fantastic. I got to go to conferences and publish data. That’s when I realised, I needed to open the PhD door again. I did my PhD part-time on dental enamel development, then moved into a postdoc in genetics, working on viruses with Professor Peter Stockley. As strange as it sounds, the transition from teeth to viruses was really about the techniques that could be applied to a new research area.

After working in Uppsala, Sweden, I applied for fellowships and was awarded a Medical Research Council (MRC) Career Development Award. That was the beginning of my academic career.

What first sparked your interest in this field?

Viruses were covered in my undergraduate degree, but I didn’t specialise in microbiology. I always found viruses fascinating, but I didn’t think they would underpin my career.

Viruses are relatively simple organisms, which means you can study evolution, structure and molecular biology in a reasonable timeframe. They’re very tractable. At first, I was using viruses as a tool to develop methods rather than being interested in viruses themselves. That changed during my fellowship, particularly when I started working with Professor Dave Rowlands. Dave has an enthusiasm and passion for picornaviruses. Working with him was so inspiring and his enthusiasm is contagious.

How would you describe what you do to someone outside academia?

I try to understand how viruses work, particularly picornaviruses, because I believe strongly in prevention.

The more we understand the virus life cycle and how viruses cause disease, the more we can step in and prevent that.

Some of the work I do now focuses on pandemic prevention, trying to understand the next potentially pandemic virus, and try to develop interventions.

What are you currently working on?

The project that takes the most of my time at the moment is on polio. We’re working with a number of partners to develop new polio vaccines that are safe to make and safe to use, feeding into the eradication programme. These are called virus-like particles (VLPs). They are containers that mimic the virus but contain no viral genetic material, so cannot cause disease.

Alongside that, we’re trying to understand how viruses like polio assemble in the cell and go through a complex maturation process. That work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, and we’re the lead organisation on that five‑year grant.

I’m also part of Vax Hub Network, developing vaccine platforms and manufacturing in the UK, and part of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a funded project looking at vaccine manufacturing at point of care. The idea is that you could manufacture vaccines where they’re needed.

Who supports and collaborates on your work?

All of the funding I mentioned is collaborative. It’s always a ‘we’, rather than an ‘I’. The polio project is a large consortium, — the polio VLP Consortium — funded by the WHO via the Gates Foundation, and has been running for 15 years. This includes University of Oxford, the Pirbright Institute, University of Reading,[NS2.1] John Innes Centre, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), University of Florida and Harvard University.”

The CEPI project is led by the Centre for Process Innovation and includes partners in Canada and Brazil. The Vax Hub projects involve University College London, University of Oxford, LSHTM and University of Cardiff.

Science is a big and complex jigsaw and collaboration is absolutely essential.

What has surprised or inspired you most?

People inspire me. The traditional idea of a scientist working alone in a lab just isn’t true. Research is incredibly collaborative, and that’s valued much more now. We shout about what we do, not what I do.

I’m also inspired by the people in my research group, past and present. I’ve been a professor for over ten years, and it still amazes me that I have a chair. I still think I’m just a girl from a not-that-great comprehensive school in Essex and how far I have come with these people around me.

I feel very privileged to work on things I’m passionate about, with people who enrich everything I do.

How is your research making a difference beyond academia?

If our new polio vaccines were to become a part of childhood vaccination programmes, that would be an amazing achievement. It would allow countries that currently can’t manufacture vaccines because of containment requirements, to do so without those technical complexities.
That means wider vaccine manufacturing, wider access, lower costs, and better provision worldwide.

We’re already working with companies that don’t manufacture polio vaccines currently but can make our VLPs safely. That helps tackle vaccine inequality.

What have you learned along the way?

Listening. Listening to other people’s ideas and not having too many precast views about what will or won’t work. Some people’s crazy ideas have turned out to be really useful.

When the opportunity presented, I wasn’t sure if I should get involved in the polio VLP project because I was so busy. But I took the chance.

Always take the opportunity. Don’t play it safe. Success needs risk, and calculated risk can be a very good thing.

This journey has involved periods of working very long hours, but I have learnt the importance of work-life balance- family, friends and creative outlets such as music.

What’s next for this work – and for you?

I’m excited to see how some of the clinical trials for the polio VLP vaccine work will progress.

I’m also very passionate about developing the careers of people in the lab. I think it is important we support postdocs to apply for funding or pursue different career paths.

We have to help develop younger colleagues and pass things on. That’s very much part of what we’re here for.

What advice would you give to someone considering a research career?

Be open and be prepared to take risks, especially in the current funding climate. Importantly, do what you enjoy. I spent a year doing something I didn’t enjoy, and life’s too short for that. If you enjoy what you do and stay open to opportunities, that’s when good things happen.

What does research impact mean to you personally?

Making a difference. My grandmother used to say we should try to leave the world a better place than we found it. I think if you can do a little bit of good, that matters.

My research area aims to address vaccine inequalities across the world. But for me, impact isn’t just global research impact, it is also in supporting people, developing careers, and helping others enjoy what they do.