Dr Kim succeeds Professor Carlo Rinaldi in this role, following Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, who served as Director of Graduate Studies for many years. All of whom made enduring contributions to the department’s graduate programmes.
Dr Kim has been part of the department’s academic leadership team since 2024, serving as Deputy Director of Graduate Studies before taking up the DGS position in 2025. In this capacity, he has provided academic leadership and oversight of graduate student supervision, contributing to the department’s commitment to excellence in research training and student support. He is also a member of the Oxford Vaccine Group’s Education Committee.
“I am delighted to take on this role and to continue contributing to the Department and the Oxford Vaccine Group’s shared mission of advancing child health through research and education,” said Dr Kim. “Our students - whether DPhil, MSc, undergraduate (FHS) or visiting interns - play a vital role in shaping our science and impact. Their curiosity, creativity, and commitment drive the innovation that underpins everything we do.”
Dr Kim has been successfully leading three Innovate UK projects developing novel vaccines against plague, Q-fever and Chikungunya-Mayaro, which are progressing towards non-human primate testing and Phase 1 clinical trials. In 2025, he received MRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and two BactiVac grants to advance viral-vectored and mRNA vaccines targeting Chagas disease, plague, and Q-fever.
He also serves as Immunology Lead and Co-Investigator on the £5M Wellcome-funded Correlates of Protection against Paratyphoid (COP-PT) programme led by Prof Sir Andrew Pollard. This programme uses controlled human infection models to identify immunological correlates of protection. The latest Phase 2 clinical trial from this programme was published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine and ongoing research – using AI/ML-based antigen discovery, system serology and sequencing – aims to define the immune signatures associated with protection.
Dr Kim’s research at the Oxford Vaccine Group integrates translational vaccinology, controlled human infection models, and immunological correlates of protection to accelerate vaccine development for neglected and emerging infectious diseases.
OVG extends their congratulations to Dr Kim on this appointment and on his research achievements in 2025!