Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert initiated and led the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (Vaxzevria) in 2020. One of the first vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 approved in the UK, it has been used in over 180 countries and is estimated to have saved more than six million lives worldwide.

Professor Gilbert’s primary research interest is the development and production of viral vectored vaccines, from initial concept through clinical trials and onwards to rollout. She currently leads vaccine development for influenza as well as for several emerging pathogens, including influenza, Nipah virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Lassa virus.

Professor Gilbert is a Principal Investigator at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Oxford with a mission to discover, create and enable practical, science-driven solutions to infectious disease threats worldwide.

Professor Gilbert was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2021 in recognition of her work during the pandemic. Her book Vaxxers describing the development of Vaxzevria was a Sunday Times bestseller. Other awards include the Royal Society of Medicine Gold Medal, the Princesa de Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research 2021, the Sunhak Peace Prize 2022 and the King Faisal Prize 2023.