Rate My Professor Elaine Bignell

Professor Elaine Bignell holds the position of Professor of Medical Mycology in the Department of Biosciences at the University of Exeter, where she joined in 2020. She serves as Co-Director (Research) of the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and is a member of its Management Board. An internationally recognised leader in human fungal pathogen research, Bignell is a molecular geneticist by training. She earned her PhD in Fungal Genetics from Imperial College London between 1995 and 1999, supervised by Professor H. Arst. She began her independent research career as an MRC New Investigator Award holder, securing a fast-track to Lectureship. Prior to Exeter, she was Reader in Applied Mycology from 2013 to 2019 and Professor of Infection Biology at the University of Manchester, co-directing the Manchester Fungal Infection Group.

Bignell's research specializations centre on the pathobiology of human fungal infections, particularly lung infections caused by environmental moulds like Aspergillus fumigatus. Her academic interests include fungal pathogenicity mechanisms, signal transduction in fungal cells, and antifungal drug resistance. Her contributions have informed therapeutic strategies for fatal fungal infections in immunocompromised patients with cancer, HIV, or organ transplants. A key discovery is a fungal protein sensing extracellular pH, now targeted for novel antifungals. In 2024, she leads a £3.2 million MRC Programme grant to preserve antifungal drug efficacy. Recognised with election as Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2023, her work has over 7,000 Google Scholar citations. Key publications include "Tackling the emerging threat of antifungal resistance to human health" (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2022), "The pathobiology of human fungal infections" (2024), and "Functional analysis of the Aspergillus fumigatus kinome reveals an essential role for the protein kinase A pathway in virulence" (2023). She is a founding Management Board member of the CMM LATAM Unit (2023) and contributes to public engagement on fungal threats.