Scientific Advisory Group

The Scientific Advisory Group is a key advisory body to the Leadership Team, comprising experts in vaccine development, immunology, immunizations, and global health. The group evaluates IVI’s scientific activities to ensure relevance, balance, and adequacy while prioritizing research and development agendas, while also identifying new opportunities. It provides technical guidance on specific projects and supports training, education, advocacy, and capacity-building initiatives. Additionally, the Scientific Advisory Group fosters collaboration with international organizations to advance IVI’s goals. 

Fred Zepp, M.D. (Chairperson)

Professor
Department of Paediatrics
University Medicine Mainz
Johannes Gutenberg University
Germany

Susan Barnett, Ph.D. (Vice Chairperson)

Senior Program Officer
HIV Vaccine Product and Clinical Development
Global Health – HIV
Gates Foundation
United States of America

Raman Rao, M.D.

Chief Executive Officer
Hilleman Laboratories Singapore Pte Ltd
Singapore

Noni MacDonald, M.D.

Professor
MicroResearch and Global Health
Department of Pediatrics
Dalhousie University
Canada

Theodore Tsai, M.D.

United States of America

Delese Mimi Darko, B.Pharm, MBA, PhD

Director General
African Medicines Agency (AMA)
Ghana

Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Medicine
Founding Director, Center for Infectious Medicine
Karolinska Institutet
Sweden

Punnee Pitisuttithum, M.D.

Professor Emeritus, Project Chair
Vaccine Trial Centre
Faculty of Tropical Medicine
Mahidol University
Thailand

Nathalie Garçon, PharmD, Ph.D.

CEO
N3J Consulting
Belgium

George Siber, M.D.

President
Siber Biotechnologies
United States of America

Jae Myun Lee, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Oncology
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Yonsei University
Republic of Korea

Eduardo López, M.D.

Scientific Director
Centro de Estudios en Infectología Pediátrica
Colombia

Antonio Barra Torres, M.D.

Brazil

Sandhya Vasan, M.D.

Chief Medical and Science Officer, Senior Vice President
Global Infectious Diseases Research
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF)
United States of America

Maria Elena Bottazzi, Ph.D.

Senior Associate Dean
National School of Tropical Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
United States of America

Firdausi Qadri, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist
Lead to Mucosal Immunology and Vaccinology Unit
icddr,b
Bangladesh

Updated: May 2026