Prof Derek Smith

Professor Smith is the Director of the Centre for Pathogen Evolution based here in the Department of Zoology. The Pathogen Evolution Group is dedicated to research in antigenically variable pathogens and pathogen evolution, and to contribute to basic science and critical issues in public health. They use antigenic cartography, along with genetic and population biology techniques, to study basic questions in pathogen evolution, and coevolution with the acquired immunity in host populations.

Antigenic cartography is a new mathematical and computational method which for the first time allows one to quantify and visualize fine-grain phenotypic differences among strains of viruses or bacteria (Smith et al., Science 305, 371-376, 2004).

Antigenic cartography has been developed using data on human influenza virus subtype A(H3N2), and is routinely used to analyze the global data from the World Health Organization influenza surveillance network as part of the influenza vaccine strain selection process.

Key Publications

• Turner, Samuel A., David J. Pattinson, Ron A. M. Fouchier, and Derek J. Smith. Predicting the Antigenic Evolution of Seasonal Influenza Viruses Using Phylogenetic Convergence. bioRxiv 10 April 2026, 2026.04.10.717627. doi: 10.64898/2026.04.10.717627.
• Wilks, Samuel H., Barbara Mühlemann, Xiaoying Shen, Sina Türeli, Eric B. LeGresley, Antonia Netzl, Miguela A. Caniza, Jesus N. Chacaltana-Huarcaya, Victor M. Corman, Xiaoju Daniell, Micahel B. Datto, Fatimah S. Dawood, Thomas N. Denny, Christian Drosten, Ron A. M. Fouchier, Patricia J. Garcia, Peter J. Halfmann, Agatha Jassem, Lara M. Jeworowski, Terry C. Jones, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Florian Krammer, Charlene McDanal, Rolando Pajon, Viviana Simon, Melissa S. Stockwell, Haili Tang, Harm van Bakel, Vic Veguilla, Richard Webby, David C. Montefiori, Derek J. Smith. Mapping SARS-CoV-2 Antigenic Relationships and Serological Responses. Science 382, no. 6666 (2023): eadj0070. doi: 10.1126/science.adj0070.
• Chengjun Li, Masato Hatta, David F. Burke, Jihui Ping, Ying Zhang, Makoto Ozawa, Andrew S. Taft, Subash C. Das, Anthony P. Hanson, Jiasheng Song, Masaki Imai, Peter R. Wilker, Tokiko Watanabe, Shinji Watanabe, Mutsumi Ito, Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto, Colin A. Russell, Sarah L. James, Eugene Skepner, Eileen A. Maher, Gabriele Neumann, Alexander I. Klimov, Anne Kelso, John McCauley, Dayan Wang, Yuelong Shu, Takato Odagiri, Masato Tashiro, Xiyan Xu, David E. Wentworth, Jacqueline M. Katz, Nancy J. Cox, Derek J. Smith & Yoshihiro Kawaoka (2016). Selection of antigenically advanced variants of seasonal influenza viruses. Nature Microbiology, 1(6):16058. doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.58
• Katzelnick LC, Fonville JM, Gromowski GD, Arriaga JB, Green A, James SL, Lau L, Montoya M, Wang C, VanBlargan LA, Russell CA, Thu HM, Pierson TC, Buchy P, Aaskov JG, Muñoz-Jordán JL, Vasilakis N, Gibbons RV, Tesh RB, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA, Durbin A, Simmons CP, Holmes EC, Harris E, Whitehead SS, Smith DJ. Dengue viruses cluster antigenically but not as discrete serotypes. Science, 2015 Sep 18;349(6254):1338-43. doi: 10.1126/science.aac5017.
• Fonville, JM; Wilks, SH; James, SL; Fox, A; Ventresca, M; Aban, M; Xue, L; Jones, TC; Le, NMH; Pham, QT; Tran ND; Wong, Y; Mosterin, A; Katzelnick, LC; Labonte, D; Le, TT; van der Net, G; Skepner, E; Russell, CA; Kaplan, TD; Rimmelzwaan, GF; Masurel, N; de Jong, JC; Palache, A; Beyer, WEP; Le, QM; Nguyen, TH;  Wertheim, HFL; Hurt, AC; Osterhaus, ADME; Barr, IG; Fouchier, RAM; Horby, PW; Smith, DJ. Antibody landscapes after influenza virus infection or vaccination. Science 21 November 2014: 346 (6212): 996-1000; DOI: 10.1126/science.1256427.
• Koel, BF; Burke, DF; Bestebroer, TM; van der Vliet, S; Zondag, GCM; Vervaet, G; Skepner, E;  Lewis, NS; Spronken, MIJ; Russell, CA; Eropkin, MY; Hurt, AC; Barr, IG; de Jong, JC; Rimmelzwaan, GF; Osterhaus, ADME; Fouchier, RAM; Smith, DJ. Substitutions near the receptor binding site determine major antigenic change during influenza virus evolution. Science. 2013 Nov 22;342(6161):976-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1244730.
• Colin A. Russell, Judith M. Fonville, André E. X. Brown, David F. Burke, David L. Smith, Sarah L. James, Sander Herfst, Sander van Boheemen, Martin Linster, Eefje J. Schrauwen, Leah Katzelnick, Ana Mosterín, Thijs Kuiken, Eileen Maher, Gabriele Neumann, Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Ron A. M. Fouchier, and Derek J. Smith. 2012. The Potential for Respiratory Droplet-Transmissible A/H5N1 Influenza Virus to Evolve in a Mammalian Host. Science 336 (6088):1541-1547.
• Garten RJ, Davis CT, Russell CA, Shu B, Lindstrom S, Balish A, Sessions WM, Xu X, Skepner E, Deyde V, Okomo-Adhiambo M, Gubareva L, Barnes J, Smith CB, Emery SL, Hillman MJ, Rivailler P, Smagala J, de Graaf M, Burke DF, Fouchier RA, Pappas C, Alpuche-Aranda CM, López-Gatell H, Olivera H, López I, Myers CA, Faix D, Blair PJ, Yu C, Keene KM, Dotson PD Jr, Boxrud D, Sambol AR, Abid SH, St George K, Bannerman T, Moore AL, Stringer DJ, Blevins P, Demmler-Harrison GJ, Ginsberg M, Kriner P, Waterman S, Smole S, Guevara HF, Belongia EA, Clark PA, Beatrice ST, Donis R, Katz J, Finelli L, Bridges CB, Shaw M, Jernigan DB, Uyeki TM, Smith DJ, Klimov AI, Cox NJ. 2009. Antigenic and Genetic Characteristics of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza Viruses Circulating in Humans. Science 325 (5937):197-201.
• Russell CA, TC Jones, IG Barr, NJ Cox, R Garten, V Gregory, I Gust, AW Hampson, AJ Hay, AC Hurt, JC de Jong, AI Klimov, T Kageyama, N Komadina, AS Lapedes, YP Lin, A Mosterin, M Obuchi, T Odagiri, ADME Osterhaus, GF Rimmelzwaan, MW Shaw, E Skepner, K Stohr, M Tashiro, RAM Fouchier, DJ Smith. 2008. The global circulation of seasonal influenza A(H3N2) viruses. Science 32: 340-346.
• D. J. Smith, A. S. Lapedes, J. C. de Jong, T. M. Bestebroer, G. F. Rimmelzwaan, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, and R. A. M. Fouchier. 2004. Mapping the Antigenic and Genetic Evolution of Influenza Virus. Science 305: 371-376.