Dr Liam Brierley
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liambrierley.bsky.social
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 🏳️‍🌈♾
Pinned
🚨📝 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...
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
TONIGHT! Don't miss out on Glasgow's best* science comedy evening!

* 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
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
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
October 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
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...
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
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
October 27, 2025 at 8:03 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...
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
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
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...
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
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
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
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
So much #scicomm in Glasgow in the next month!

Talks in a pub? ✔️ - @pintofscience.uk: pintofscience.co.uk/events/glasgow

Family activities? - ✔️ Glasgow Science Festival: www.gla.ac.uk/events/scien...

and my (biased) fave - Science comedy??? - ✔️ Bright Club: www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
May 13, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Last day for abstract submission to present your work at the 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗴𝗼𝘄 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 and connect with researchers across all directions of virology! We would love to have more representation and contributions from ECRs and students!

Abstracts info in link below!
📅 Glasgow Virology Workshop (5 Sep, c/o @cvrinfo.bsky.social ): www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

An informal and friendly workshop in all aspects of virology interactive discussions throughout the day. Undergraduates and Masters students welcome!
University of Glasgow - Research - Research units A-Z - MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research - Engage - Events & Seminars - Glasgow Virology WorkshopSearch iconClose menu iconMenu icon ...
www.gla.ac.uk
May 2, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
🎓Big Congratulations to Dr Hollie French for passing her Viva yesterday! 🎉

📄Thesis: ‘Genomic Surveillance and Biogeography of Vampire Bat Rabies in Central America and Mexico.’ 🦇🦠and thank you to her supervisor:
@danielstreicker.bsky.social
April 29, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in a single sheep in Yorkshire following repeat positive milk testing.

To my knowledge, this is the first time the virus has been detected in sheep.

www.gov.uk/government/n...
Influenza of avian origin confirmed in a sheep in Yorkshire
Influenza of avian origin (H5N1) has been confirmed in a single sheep in Yorkshire.
www.gov.uk
March 24, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Come do a PhD with me using LLMs and comparative methods to understand the emergence of companion animal viruses! 🧠☠️🕸️🐕🐈🖥️

Fully funded 3.5 year PhD based at @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk and @cvrinfo.bsky.social supervised by myself, Margaret Hosie, and Willie Weir

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Comparative study of tropism and emergence of virulent companion animal viruses using AI-powered text mining at University of Glasgow on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Comparative study of tropism and emergence of virulent companion animal viruses using AI-powered text mining at University of Glasgow, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
March 18, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
We love to hear about about the amazing work of our William Guy Lecturers in bringing stats to young people!

Want to inspire the next generation with a talk about stats and AI?

There's still time to apply for our 2025/26 lectureship 👉 rss.org.uk/news-publica...
Had a really enjoyable morning @ri-science.bsky.social doing an extended workshop version of my @royalstatsoc.bsky.social William Guy Lecture. It’s a great way to finish my activities for #BritishScienceWeek!
March 17, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Don't forget this is tonight! Last tickets available below!
Join us on Monday 10 March at The Stand Glasgow for a night of laughs as our researchers and academics turn into stand-up comedians for Bright Club, the academic stand-up comedy night!

Get your tickets now ⬇️
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...

@emilynordmann.bsky.social
March 10, 2025 at 3:34 PM
yes yes yes yes yes yes!!

Get them tickets if you want some dazzling academics tickling your funny bones with tales of asexuality, booze, saints, sensory stimulation, and more!

www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...
Join us on Monday 10 March at The Stand Glasgow for a night of laughs as our researchers and academics turn into stand-up comedians for Bright Club, the academic stand-up comedy night!

Get your tickets now ⬇️
www.thestand.co.uk/performance/...

@emilynordmann.bsky.social
March 3, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
🎺 PhD studentship available at @lshtm.bsky.social and RVC! @influenzal.bsky.social and I are advertising for a project to investigate the unexpected phenomenon that mutagenic antiviral drugs can give rise to viruses with hundreds of mutations which are still viable. 🧵
www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/fees-a...
2025-26 Bloomsbury Colleges PhD Studentships | LSHTM
The Bloomsbury Colleges group was set up in 2004 and consists of five institutions: Birkbeck, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the School of Or...
www.lshtm.ac.uk
January 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
🚨👨🏽‍🔬👩🏿‍🔬𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁!

Work with us to develop supervised learning and graph analysis of the evolutionary and genomic links between viruses, the tissues they can infect, and the hosts that can be infected.

3y role based at @cvrinfo.bsky.social, apply by 18 Mar:

vibelab.co.uk/blog/25-02-1...
3y postdoc role available in computational biology! | VIBE Research Lab
Work with us in a three year postdoc research role! The role will develop supervised learning and graph analysis methods to understand the evolutionary and genomic links between viruses, the tissues t...
vibelab.co.uk
February 18, 2025 at 8:50 PM
And we're all good for the new date of *this Sunday*, 1.30pm! Venue and registration @ www.meetup.com/glasgow-huma... !
February 10, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Unfortunately Pestilence took this personally and got to me today, so we're looking at rescheduling for another Sunday this month!

Sorry for inconvenience, but watch this space..
Scicomm update #1!

🛡️ Why did the military protect against dangers they never saw?
🔍 Can you trust evidence that seems to solve the murder trial?
🥪 And how risky is a bacon sandwich??

Find out in my free #stats-comm show in a week via Glasgow Humanists, Sun 9th Feb! www.meetup.com/glasgow-huma...
February 9, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Glasgow's calendar is full of hosting some fantastic virology meetings this year! Register below for....

📅 UK Pandemic Sciences Network conference (23 Apr): ukpsn.org/ukpsn-confer...

Bringing together experts in the field to discuss key challenges and research developments in pandemic threats!
UKPSN Conference 2025
The next UKPSN conference will be held in Glasgow on 23rd April 2025 at the Sir Charles Wilson Building, University of Glasgow. Further details and links below.
ukpsn.org
February 4, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
Things like the "Banned Word Scrub" can feel Orwellian, but distant.

Today I am reviewing abstracts for an upcoming conference, & realising some may be withdrawn due to this. This is a conference about human viruses & health - not politics.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02...

1/2
CDC Scientists Ordered to Withdraw Studies That Say ‘LGBT’ or ‘Pregnant People’
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Dr Liam Brierley
44,000 #biological #interactions extracted from 84,000 publications—in just a few hours using GPT4o

Preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... by @francoiskeck.bsky.social et al #ecology🌍🌐🐟🌳🦋🪰🌿🪲 #predation #parasitism #mutualism

🚀 Potential applications seem endless & will change how we do #ecology
January 28, 2025 at 8:24 PM