June 2025: Professor Rowland Kao, an expert in infectious diseases in animals, is being made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours marking a career spent in research and government service. Professor Kao, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science at the Roslin Institute, is being recognised for his services to science and technology, specifically his work in mathematics and infectious disease dynamics. Three decades of research Professor Kao’s career spans three decades in infectious disease research. His focus is on understanding the movement and spread of infectious diseases among and between populations of wildlife, livestock and people. He has applied this to the understanding of key diseases including tuberculosis and Covid-19.Professor Kao has worked at the Roslin Institute since 2017. He also serves as Chair of the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Science Advisory Council, and took up this role in 2025 having served as a member of the SAC from 2018 to 2024.Previously, Professor Kao has held appointments at the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford, and what was formerly the Institute for Animal Health, now the Pirbright Institute. I am honoured to be chosen for this award, and am especially pleased to see this recognition for animal science research. This underscores the importance of research in infectious animal diseases, and recognises its contribution to public health, through the wider efforts of many researchers and collaborators.I am continually thankful for the hard work, skills, and creativity that colleagues and collaborators bring to everything I do, and am indebted to them for making it a pleasure. Professor Rowland Kao The Roslin Institute Related links Rowland KaoThe Roslin InstituteKings Birthday Honours 2025 Publication date 11 Jun, 2025
