Rate My Professor Mike Malim

Professor Mike Malim is Professor of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London. He received his DPhil in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in 1987, following a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol. After his doctorate, he trained as a virologist at Duke University, focusing on HIV-1 gene expression and RNA transport mechanisms. In 1992, he joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research elucidated how the HIV-1 Vif protein counteracts the innate immune factor APOBEC3G, which inhibits HIV-1 replication by hypermutating viral cDNA. In 2001, he returned to the UK to establish the Department of Infectious Diseases at King’s College London, where he now heads the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences and serves as Senior Vice Dean for Academic Strategy & Partnerships.

Malim’s laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms regulating replication of pandemic human viruses, including HIV-1, influenza A virus, and SARS-CoV-2, with a focus on innate and intrinsic immunity. His group pioneered the identification of key antiviral restriction factors such as APOBEC3 proteins, MX2, and NCOA7, advancing strategies for viral control and eradication. He has authored numerous influential publications, including on APOBEC3G-mediated innate immunity to retroviral infection and interferon-induced MX2 control of HIV-1. Malim has received major awards, including election as Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2007, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 2003, Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2005, the M. Jeang Retrovirology Prize in 2010, and Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques in 2021. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Pathogens and has held leadership roles such as Vice President (non-clinical) of the Academy of Medical Sciences. His work has garnered over 16,000 citations, significantly impacting virology and immunology.