Dr. Munir Iqbal is the Group Leader, Avian Influenza Group at the Institute for Animal Health in UK.  In that role, he  exploits new innovative methods for rapid diagnosis and antiviral therapies against avian influenza viruses.  His other research interest include understanding how avian influenza viruses evolve, adapt and transmit within poultry hosts, as well as developing novel vaccination approaches for poultry against H5, H7, and H9 subtype influenza viruses. Dr. Iqbal had worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of St Andrews, Scotland and at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK. He had published Controlling avian influenza infections: The challenge of the backyard poultry, Within-host variation of avian influenza viruses, and  Novel Genotypes of H9N2 Influenza A Viruses Isolated from Poultry in Pakistan Containing NS Genes Similar to Highly Pathogenic H7N3 and H5N1 Viruses. Dr. Iqbal was educated in Pakistan and the UK.