Brendan runs both a basic research group in bacterial pathogenesis and applied research group developing glycoconjugate vaccines. Pathogenesis studies focus on the role of glycostructures in bacterial disease. These fundamental studies led to the discovery of novel protein-glycan coupling enzymes and the emergence of glycoengineering in bacterial cells. The most advanced application of glycoengineering is the vaccine technology platform Bioconjugation, that is widely applied with several vaccines in clinical trials.

Brendan is a pioneer in genome sequencing and co-led the Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia pestis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Francisella tularensis and Clostridium difficile genome projects. Post genome research strategies are used to gain a comprehensive understanding of how bacteria function, interact with their respective hosts and cause disease.

Originally, Brendan studied for a PhD in Physical Chemistry at Leicester University and published seminal papers on radical cations and the effect of ionizing radiation on DNA. He then took a position in Medical Microbiology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital prior to joining LSHTM.

At the LSHTM Brendan has served as Head of Department, Research Degrees Director, and Dean of Faculty. He is currently Co-director of the LSHTM Vaccine Centre.