Professor Mike Rogan
School of Science, Engineering and Environment
Current positions
Professor of Zoology
Biography
I am currently Professor of Zoology in the School of Environment & Life Sciences and have been at Salford since 1992 progressing from Lecturer in Biology to reader in Parasitology before obtaining my chair in 2010. I have also had major roles relating to the management of teaching at both School and University level and have held positions on School Executive such as Academic Lead (Biology & Wildlife) and Associate Dean of School (Academic).
Prior to being appointed at Salford I was a post-doctoral Research Associate in parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine(1989-1992) studying immunodiagnosis of hydatid disease in Kenya and China, and at the Department of Zoology, University of Nottingham (1986-1989). Here, I worked on a joint project with the Department of Surgery, on the development of labeled antibody probes for radio-imaging of parasitic cysts. My PhD at Keele University was also in the area of Parasitology and I studied Zoology as an undergraduate at Queen’s University Belfast.
I have been External examiner for Undergraduate programmes in Bioscience at Lancaster University, Aberystwyth University and Queen’s University Belfast.
Areas of research
Parasitology, Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Pest control, Immunology
My teaching largely revolves around the disciplines of parasitology, particularly in relation to cestodes (tepeworms) and trematodes (parasitic flukes) and immunology at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I have also developed “skills-based modules” such as Study Skills at level 4; Biological Research Skills at level 5 and Professional Skills at Level 6 which are designed to help students acquire the necessary skills for a science based degree and employment.
Research for the last 30 years has been focused on the biology, immunology and epidemiology of tapeworm parasites (Cestodes) particularly Echinococcus, which are transmitted to humans as zoonotic infections from dogs and wild canids. This has involved extensive fieldwork in East Africa, China and Kyrgyzstan correlating human and animal diagnostic surveys with disease prevalence and transmission and has enabled us to identify risk factors associated with potential infection.
I am also interested in the interaction of the human immune system and hydatid cysts, which are the larval stages of the parasite. Recent work has enabled us to identify cytokine and antibody markers which can be used to monitor the natural history of parasite development and disease progression.
I am also involved in research relating to the transmission of helminth parasites (worms) within wild rodent populations in the UK and have published papers on new trematode species identified in voles in the UK.
Qualifications
- BSc – Zoology, Queen’s University, Belfast, 1983
- PhD – Parasitology, University of Keele, 1987
Memberships
- Member of the British Society for Parasitology (BSP) (1984 – present)
- Member of the Council for the British Society for Parasitology (BSP) (1996-1999)
- Honorary Meetings Secretary for the British Society for Parasitology (BSP) (2005-2009)
- Local Organising Secretary for the BSP Spring Meeting at Salford in April 2002.
- Member of World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) (2015-)