Rate My Professor Gordon Brown

Professor Gordon Brown is Professor of Immunology and Director of the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter. He earned his PhD in microbiology from the University of Cape Town. Following a Wellcome Trust travelling postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford, he established an independent laboratory as a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow at the University of Cape Town. In 2009, he took up a Chair in Immunology at the University of Aberdeen, where he served until relocating to the University of Exeter in 2019. He also directs the AFGrica Unit based at the University of Cape Town and holds honorary professorships at both the Universities of Cape Town and Aberdeen. Professor Brown is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS, elected 2020), Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE, elected 2013).

His primary research interests focus on C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) and their roles in homeostasis and immunity, with particular emphasis on antifungal immunity and medical mycology. Key discoveries include the identification of Dectin-1 as a major β-glucan receptor on macrophages and a signalling non-TLR pattern-recognition receptor critical for antifungal defence. He co-authored the book 'Immunology of Fungal Infections' (2007) and has published highly influential papers such as 'Dectin-1 is a major β-glucan receptor on macrophages' (Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2002) and 'Dectin-1: a signalling non-TLR pattern-recognition receptor' (Nature Reviews Immunology, 2006). With over 64,000 citations on Google Scholar, his work has significantly advanced understanding of host-pathogen interactions in innate immunity, elevating medical mycology within the immunology field. He leads research on fungal pathogens, including contributions to global efforts combating antifungal drug resistance and tuberculosis mechanisms.