Dr Liam Brierley
@liambrierley.bsky.social
Virologist, statistician, and science presenter.
Runs @vibelab.co.uk
Research Fellow at @cvrinfo.bsky.social
Ambassador for @royalstatsoc.bsky.social
Five parts emerging virus epi, two parts R/compsci, ten parts caffeine.
he/him 🏳️🌈♾
Runs @vibelab.co.uk
Research Fellow at @cvrinfo.bsky.social
Ambassador for @royalstatsoc.bsky.social
Five parts emerging virus epi, two parts R/compsci, ten parts caffeine.
he/him 🏳️🌈♾
Pinned
An AI for an AI: identifying zoonotic potential of avian influenza viruses via genomic machine learning
Avian influenza remains a serious risk to human health via zoonotic transmission, as well as a feasible pandemic threat. Although limited zoonotic cases have resulted from the current epizootic outbre...
www.biorxiv.org
🚨📝 New work via @thepandemicinst.bsky.social now preprinted!
We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Two weeks til 🎙️COMEDIC ACADEMIC🎙️time!! Feat. everything from how much you can electrically stimulate someone to the psychology of stroppy astronauts!
Want to dip your own toe in or hear about scicomm-comedy training? Get on that mailing list! eepurl.com/jr69Zg
👀 also don't miss the discount code⬇️
Want to dip your own toe in or hear about scicomm-comedy training? Get on that mailing list! eepurl.com/jr69Zg
👀 also don't miss the discount code⬇️
January 20, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Two weeks til 🎙️COMEDIC ACADEMIC🎙️time!! Feat. everything from how much you can electrically stimulate someone to the psychology of stroppy astronauts!
Want to dip your own toe in or hear about scicomm-comedy training? Get on that mailing list! eepurl.com/jr69Zg
👀 also don't miss the discount code⬇️
Want to dip your own toe in or hear about scicomm-comedy training? Get on that mailing list! eepurl.com/jr69Zg
👀 also don't miss the discount code⬇️
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
We've a computational PhD project available AI-DRIVEN DISCOVERY OF VIRUS–HOST MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvl... as part of the University of Glasgow's MVLS Futures Themes PhD Programme. Deadline for applications is this Monday, 12th Jan 2026. Please apply!
University of Glasgow - Colleges - College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences - MVLS Graduate School - PhD Research Opportunities - College Futures Themes PhD Programme - Projects - Fundamentals o...
www.gla.ac.uk
January 7, 2026 at 11:08 PM
We've a computational PhD project available AI-DRIVEN DISCOVERY OF VIRUS–HOST MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvl... as part of the University of Glasgow's MVLS Futures Themes PhD Programme. Deadline for applications is this Monday, 12th Jan 2026. Please apply!
"[neurodivergent] behaviors .. need not be changed for properly functioning research environments and demanding conformity of autistic scientists is actively harmful to their mental health"
Many important and stunningly relatable points in this piece.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Many important and stunningly relatable points in this piece.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
“Why can’t you be normal?”: an urgent call for social and institutional inclusivity of neurodivergent scientists in STEM workplaces | mBio
Autism is a neurodevelopmental phenotype characterized by challenges with socialization
(1). Officially classified as an intellectual disability (2), the term “neurodivergent” (antonym: “neurotypical”...
journals.asm.org
December 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
"[neurodivergent] behaviors .. need not be changed for properly functioning research environments and demanding conformity of autistic scientists is actively harmful to their mental health"
Many important and stunningly relatable points in this piece.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Many important and stunningly relatable points in this piece.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Spectra of mutation patterns across the influenza A phylogeny are informative of not just differential host adaptation, but differential tissue adaptation too!
Mutational spectra reveal influenza virus transmission routes and adaptation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.26.690773v1
December 12, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Spectra of mutation patterns across the influenza A phylogeny are informative of not just differential host adaptation, but differential tissue adaptation too!
Conservation, genomics, ecology, *and* bats all in the same PhD!
🦇Interested in a bat-related PhD? 👇
Using genomics to understand bat population declines under global environmental change with @orlyrazgour.bsky.social , @bfraser.bsky.social and BCT, based at the University of Exeter.
Application deadline 8 January 2026: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Using genomics to understand bat population declines under global environmental change with @orlyrazgour.bsky.social , @bfraser.bsky.social and BCT, based at the University of Exeter.
Application deadline 8 January 2026: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Applying genomic approaches to understand bat population declines. NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2026 Entry at University of Exeter on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Applying genomic approaches to understand bat population declines. NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2026 Entry at University of Exeter, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Conservation, genomics, ecology, *and* bats all in the same PhD!
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Some things, like foxes, really are upside down in Australia
June 20, 2024 at 7:36 PM
Some things, like foxes, really are upside down in Australia
What makes bird flu spill over to humans? 4y funded PhD in the genomics and molecular virology behind zoonosis of avian influenza A virus, working with @tompeacock.bsky.social and others between Liverpool, Pirbright, and Uppsala!
open to applications until next week!
open to applications until next week!
November 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM
What makes bird flu spill over to humans? 4y funded PhD in the genomics and molecular virology behind zoonosis of avian influenza A virus, working with @tompeacock.bsky.social and others between Liverpool, Pirbright, and Uppsala!
open to applications until next week!
open to applications until next week!
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
🚨 2 PhD opportunities under Wessex One Health to join my group & work on:
1. Integrating bat and fungal pathogen ecology to understand epidemiology
2. AI-augmented metagenomics to map British bat virome and assess zoonotic potential
Deadline 26 January 2026 🦇🧪🦠🌍🌐
www.surrey.ac.uk/wessex-one-h...
1. Integrating bat and fungal pathogen ecology to understand epidemiology
2. AI-augmented metagenomics to map British bat virome and assess zoonotic potential
Deadline 26 January 2026 🦇🧪🦠🌍🌐
www.surrey.ac.uk/wessex-one-h...
Available studentships| University of Surrey
18 fully funded studentships for October 2026 start: interdisciplinary infection bioscience training to address disease threats to human and animal health.
www.surrey.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
🚨 2 PhD opportunities under Wessex One Health to join my group & work on:
1. Integrating bat and fungal pathogen ecology to understand epidemiology
2. AI-augmented metagenomics to map British bat virome and assess zoonotic potential
Deadline 26 January 2026 🦇🧪🦠🌍🌐
www.surrey.ac.uk/wessex-one-h...
1. Integrating bat and fungal pathogen ecology to understand epidemiology
2. AI-augmented metagenomics to map British bat virome and assess zoonotic potential
Deadline 26 January 2026 🦇🧪🦠🌍🌐
www.surrey.ac.uk/wessex-one-h...
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
The absurdity of not being able to use a .gov site as a reliable source anymore.
Weaponization of the premier public health agency in the country for personal clout and gain. The CDC website should not be trusted given the fact that it is controlled by people who will profit from spurious and false attempts to link vaccines to autism.
www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
Autism and Vaccines
Answers to common questions about vaccine safety and autism.
www.cdc.gov
November 20, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The absurdity of not being able to use a .gov site as a reliable source anymore.
It's Trans Awareness Week and @rssdiversity.bsky.social and @rainbowr.org's event tomorrow! 🏳️⚧️
Please join me from 17.30GMT at www.youtube.com/@RSSDiversity (stream will be up on homepage) to hear from Dr Voigt and Dr Webster on data on trans identities, barriers in trans lives, and better advocacy.
Please join me from 17.30GMT at www.youtube.com/@RSSDiversity (stream will be up on homepage) to hear from Dr Voigt and Dr Webster on data on trans identities, barriers in trans lives, and better advocacy.
November 18, 2025 at 12:06 PM
It's Trans Awareness Week and @rssdiversity.bsky.social and @rainbowr.org's event tomorrow! 🏳️⚧️
Please join me from 17.30GMT at www.youtube.com/@RSSDiversity (stream will be up on homepage) to hear from Dr Voigt and Dr Webster on data on trans identities, barriers in trans lives, and better advocacy.
Please join me from 17.30GMT at www.youtube.com/@RSSDiversity (stream will be up on homepage) to hear from Dr Voigt and Dr Webster on data on trans identities, barriers in trans lives, and better advocacy.
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
November 11, 2025 at 8:38 PM
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic - Nature
The panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 since 2021 was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild migratory birds, primaril...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
rainbowR event: Trans Lived Experiences in Data 🏳️⚧️
We are partnering with the
@rssdiversity.bsky.social Celebrating Diversity SIG to host an online event next week. More info below!
📅 19th Nov 17:30–18:30 (GMT)
👉 bit.ly/rsscdnov
We are partnering with the
@rssdiversity.bsky.social Celebrating Diversity SIG to host an online event next week. More info below!
📅 19th Nov 17:30–18:30 (GMT)
👉 bit.ly/rsscdnov
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
rainbowR event: Trans Lived Experiences in Data 🏳️⚧️
We are partnering with the
@rssdiversity.bsky.social Celebrating Diversity SIG to host an online event next week. More info below!
📅 19th Nov 17:30–18:30 (GMT)
👉 bit.ly/rsscdnov
We are partnering with the
@rssdiversity.bsky.social Celebrating Diversity SIG to host an online event next week. More info below!
📅 19th Nov 17:30–18:30 (GMT)
👉 bit.ly/rsscdnov
TONIGHT! Don't miss out on Glasgow's best* science comedy evening!
* within 95% confidence interval
* within 95% confidence interval
In two weeks! Live stand-up comedy from 100% real in-the-flesh researchers and scientists including me (am real last time I checked). This time we got everything from Scottish philosophy & saintspeak to astrophysics & mystery diseases!
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
👀 discount code: BRIGHTCLUB
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
👀 discount code: BRIGHTCLUB
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
TONIGHT! Don't miss out on Glasgow's best* science comedy evening!
* within 95% confidence interval
* within 95% confidence interval
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Bright Club is back!
Join us at The Stand Glasgow for a night of laughs as our researchers and academics turn into stand-up comedians.
📅 Mon 10 November
📍 The Stand, Glasgow
Get your tickets for £4 using discount code "BRIGHTCLUB": gla.ac/4hivOMZ
Join us at The Stand Glasgow for a night of laughs as our researchers and academics turn into stand-up comedians.
📅 Mon 10 November
📍 The Stand, Glasgow
Get your tickets for £4 using discount code "BRIGHTCLUB": gla.ac/4hivOMZ
October 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Bright Club is back!
Join us at The Stand Glasgow for a night of laughs as our researchers and academics turn into stand-up comedians.
📅 Mon 10 November
📍 The Stand, Glasgow
Get your tickets for £4 using discount code "BRIGHTCLUB": gla.ac/4hivOMZ
Join us at The Stand Glasgow for a night of laughs as our researchers and academics turn into stand-up comedians.
📅 Mon 10 November
📍 The Stand, Glasgow
Get your tickets for £4 using discount code "BRIGHTCLUB": gla.ac/4hivOMZ
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
🧬 Thrilled to share our latest paper in @natmicrobiol.nature.com 📄
A collaboration to give the Flaviviridae (home to Zika, Dengue & HCV) a much-needed taxonomic re-think.
Our at-scale AI structure prediction gave a complementary perspective on viral evolution.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A collaboration to give the Flaviviridae (home to Zika, Dengue & HCV) a much-needed taxonomic re-think.
Our at-scale AI structure prediction gave a complementary perspective on viral evolution.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Taxonomic expansion and reorganization of Flaviviridae - Nature Microbiology
Analysis of RNA polymerase hallmark gene phylogenies supported by protein structure relationships of flaviviruses and ‘flavi-like’ viruses underpins the taxonomic expansion and reorganization of Flavi...
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:52 PM
🧬 Thrilled to share our latest paper in @natmicrobiol.nature.com 📄
A collaboration to give the Flaviviridae (home to Zika, Dengue & HCV) a much-needed taxonomic re-think.
Our at-scale AI structure prediction gave a complementary perspective on viral evolution.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A collaboration to give the Flaviviridae (home to Zika, Dengue & HCV) a much-needed taxonomic re-think.
Our at-scale AI structure prediction gave a complementary perspective on viral evolution.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In two weeks! Live stand-up comedy from 100% real in-the-flesh researchers and scientists including me (am real last time I checked). This time we got everything from Scottish philosophy & saintspeak to astrophysics & mystery diseases!
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
👀 discount code: BRIGHTCLUB
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
👀 discount code: BRIGHTCLUB
October 27, 2025 at 8:03 PM
In two weeks! Live stand-up comedy from 100% real in-the-flesh researchers and scientists including me (am real last time I checked). This time we got everything from Scottish philosophy & saintspeak to astrophysics & mystery diseases!
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
👀 discount code: BRIGHTCLUB
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
👀 discount code: BRIGHTCLUB
🚨📝 New work via @thepandemicinst.bsky.social now preprinted!
We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
An AI for an AI: identifying zoonotic potential of avian influenza viruses via genomic machine learning
Avian influenza remains a serious risk to human health via zoonotic transmission, as well as a feasible pandemic threat. Although limited zoonotic cases have resulted from the current epizootic outbre...
www.biorxiv.org
September 18, 2025 at 1:39 PM
🚨📝 New work via @thepandemicinst.bsky.social now preprinted!
We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We took ~19000 sequences of avian influenza virus and trained machine learning models on >40000 genomic/proteomic features - the resulting ensemble can predict zoonotic potential with AUC=0.95. More below!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Experimental infections reveal unexceptional viral tolerance in bats https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.28.672855v1
September 1, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Experimental infections reveal unexceptional viral tolerance in bats https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.28.672855v1
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Virus researchers! Please consider participating in this project - it would be a huge help to our lab, and we think it'll lead to some really exciting synthesis. Plus, you'll get an invitation to participate in a workshop later in the project! 🦠😷
🧬🦠🌍 What are the big, cross-scale questions shaping the ecology and evolution of emerging viruses?
@torrelavelle.bsky.social and I are building a list of 100 questions + want your input. Help map the future of EEID — fill out & share our short survey!
🔗 airtable.com/appTW4ZoSFjR...
@torrelavelle.bsky.social and I are building a list of 100 questions + want your input. Help map the future of EEID — fill out & share our short survey!
🔗 airtable.com/appTW4ZoSFjR...
Airtable | Everyone's app platform
Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.
airtable.com
June 17, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Virus researchers! Please consider participating in this project - it would be a huge help to our lab, and we think it'll lead to some really exciting synthesis. Plus, you'll get an invitation to participate in a workshop later in the project! 🦠😷
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
We have a job going for a bioinformatician / computational biologist at the CVR in Glasgow. www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/computat...
Computational Biologist/Bioinformatician
Computational Biologist/Bioinformatician COLLEGE OF MVLSSchool of Infection and Immunity Job PurposeThe post holder will join the Bioinformatics group at the School of Infection and Immunity, MRC-U...
www.jobs.gla.ac.uk
May 28, 2025 at 8:14 AM
We have a job going for a bioinformatician / computational biologist at the CVR in Glasgow. www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/computat...
If I had a nickel for every consecutive year we've had janky 3D-rendered big cats, I'd only have two nickels but it's weird it's happened twice.
May 16, 2025 at 12:09 PM
If I had a nickel for every consecutive year we've had janky 3D-rendered big cats, I'd only have two nickels but it's weird it's happened twice.
I'm only able to join ViBioM virtually (thank you @evbc.bsky.social for making this available!!) but some fantastic talks from the @systemsvirology.bsky.social lab who are innovately retraining protein language models to infer virus evolution, antigenicity, and epi! おめでとうございます
May 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
I'm only able to join ViBioM virtually (thank you @evbc.bsky.social for making this available!!) but some fantastic talks from the @systemsvirology.bsky.social lab who are innovately retraining protein language models to infer virus evolution, antigenicity, and epi! おめでとうございます