About the lecture

In this first mini-lecture, we talk about the impact of viruses throughout history. As we are all aware, viral pandemics and epidemics have been a major discussion over the past two years or so, but in this mini-lecture we contextualise this latest global pandemic with other recently recorded epidemics in terms of their spread and lethality. We then talk about the other impacts viruses can have on human health, including certain cancers (Epstein-Barr virus). In addition to this, we begin to understand the scientific discoveries that have been made possible by understanding viruses better, such as immunology and vaccinations. To finish off, we give a brief description of what a general virus might look like, how many there are in the world, and how they might differ from bacteria and other living organisms.

About the lecturer

After graduating with a BSc Hons in Medical Microbiology from the University of Edinburgh, Sarah Gretton worked on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) at the Centre for Infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh, before embarking on a PhD studying the cellular biology of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) at the MRC Virology Unit at the University of Glasgow. Upon completion of the PhD Dr Gretton continued working on HCV as a research fellow at the University of Leeds. Dr Gretton worked as a sessional lecturer in Biological Sciences at Nottingham Trent University during the 2009-10 academic year, before joining the Genetic Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (GENIE) and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Science at the University of Leicester in 2010, teaching on the natural sciences and biological sciences programmes but also working on a number of educational projects. Dr Gretton was appointed director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Science in June 2015, and also took on the role of institutional lead of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the same year. In 2017 Dr Gretton was appointed as programme director of the newly launched Natural Sciences (Life and Physical Sciences) programme, and from 2019-2021 was director of taught postgraduate programmes for the College of Life Sciences. Dr Gretton is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), led the natural sciences team in their successful UK Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence 2017, and was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2021.