Michael Houghton

Dr. Houghton joined as a director in 2021 and currently serves as Director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, AB Canada. Since joining the University in 2010 as Canada Excellence Chair in Virology, he has served as a Li Ka Shing Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Previously, he was Chief Scientific Officer at Epiphany Biosciences and Vice President of hepatitis C and virology research at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. Earlier in his career, Dr. Houghton spent 24 years in hepatitis C and virology research at Chiron Corporation. He began his career as senior research investigator working on human interferon genetics at Searle Research Laboratories in Buckinghamshire, England. Dr. Houghton earned a BSc in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia, and a PhD in biochemistry from King’s College, University of London. Over the course of his career, he has been the recipient of 17 prestigious awards, including the Lasker Award and, most recently, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Houghton was knighted in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to medicine.