Simon obtained a BSc in Microbiology before studying for a PhD at the Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool. His thesis focused on the genetic variation of hepatitis C virus, utilising both Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing techniques to explore the prevalence of drug resistance mutations in treatment-naïve patients.
Simon joined the Pirbright Institute in 2017, working as a laboratory technician for both the UK Culicoides reference laboratory (Entomology group) and the non-Vesicular Disease Reference Laboratory. He is now a senior laboratory technician for the Non-Vesicular disease group, currently working on the Rinderpest Sequence & Destroy project as part of the OIE-FAO post-eradication activities.
