London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine homepage

Professor

Jo Lines

Professor of Malaria Control and Vector Biology

Disease Control

Orcid identifier0000-0001-5380-4916
  • Professor of Malaria Control and Vector Biology
    Disease Control

BIO

My expertise is on vector control for malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. I consider myself one of the world's foremost malaria entomologists, at least amongst those of us who work on the interface between research and implementation. I have held the top job in my field: I went to WHO to accomplish a specific task, and having done so, I returned to research, where I can follow my own sense of what is important.

My early research, in the 1980s and 90s, contributed to the initial development and success of insecticide-treated nets. I have developed several novel techniques that are now accepted as the default standard technique. These include sampling methods and designs for experimental hut work.

I like multi-disciplinary work, because malaria is a multi-disciplinary phenomenon! So, as well as the practical and opportunistic research on interventions, I've also made some significant contributions to:
+. the basic biology on human infectiousness to mosquitoes
+ qualitative studies of what people think and do about mosquitoes
+. operational research on treated nets distributions systems,
+. risk assessment methods for pyrethroids on nets, etc.

As a consultant, I've worked for DFID, USAID, and WHO, mostly in the design and evaluation of malaria vector control programmes, and also the role of the private sector.

Between 2009 to 2011, I left academia and joined the Global Malaria Department of WHO, as Coordinator of the Vector Control Unit in Geneva. In this role, I initiated and led the development of the Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management in malaria vectors (GPIRM). I also helped to develop revised WHO systems for the assessment of new vector control technologies, i.e we designed the current VCAG.

Now back at LSHTM, I am working on the implementation of GPIRM and the question of what will stabilise the absence of malaria in highly receptive parts of Africa. As part of the latter, I am working with the CGIAR on the effects of agriculture on vector-borne disease.

LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE APPOINTMENTS

  • Professor of Malaria Control & Vector Biology
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Disease Control, London, United Kingdom1 Aug 2016 - present

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Coordinator of the Vector Control Unit
    World Health Organisation, Global Malaria Programme, Geneva, Switzerland1 Jan 2009 - 30 Sep 2011

DEGREES

  • BSc Genetics
    University of Liverpool, United Kingdom1 Jun 1977
  • MSc Medical Parasitology
    LSHTM, United Kingdom1 Jun 1979
  • PhD
    LSHTM, United Kingdom1 Jun 1983

LANGUAGES

  • Swahili
    Can read, write, speak, understand and peer review
  • French
    Can read, write, speak and understand

RESEARCH CENTRES

  • Antimicrobial Resistance Centre
  • Centre for Evaluation
  • Malaria Centre
  • Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health

REGIONS & COUNTRIES

  • Benin
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Cote d'Ivoire
  • Gambia
  • India
  • Kenya
  • Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Venezuela
  • East Asia & Pacific (developing only)
  • South Asia
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (all income levels)

TOPICS & DISCIPLINES