Southampton professor announced as Fellow of European society

Professor John Holloway has been named a Fellow of the European Respiratory Society (ERS).

He is one of just 14 new awardees this year.

The accolade recognises excellence in respiratory medicine. It acknowledges outstanding contributions in research, education and clinical leadership.

Prof Holloway is Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Genetics at the University of Southampton (UoS). He leads research into how genetic and environmental factors influence respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD.

He is also part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

World-leading research

Awardees are inducted into an elite advisory board. This international group is shaping the future of respiratory science.

Prof Holloway joins five Southampton colleagues as a Fellow of ERS. They are Professors Jane Lucas, Tom Wilkinson, Ratko Djukanovic, Stephen Holgate and Donna Davies.

 “I am honoured to be elected as a Fellow of the European Respiratory Society”, Prof Holloway said.

“This recognition reflects the fantastic research by my students and colleagues over many years. It also shows the strength of respiratory research in Southampton.”

Deserved recognition

Originally from New Zealand, Prof Holloway completed his BSc in Biochemistry at Otago University. He earned a PhD in 1997. During this time, he was one of the first to identify a gene associated with severe asthma.

Prof Holloway came to Southampton in 1997 as a postdoctoral fellow. Here, he joined up with Professor Stephen Holgate to look into the genetic factors that influence allergy and asthma.

The research team he leads today are exploring how these conditions can develop before birth. They are looking into why symptoms vary between individuals. They also want to understand how genes and environmental triggers interact.

It was Prof Stephen Holgate who nominated Prof Holloway for this award. Prof Holgate said:

“John is a most deserving recipient of this prestigious award. His rich research portfolio is impressive, particularly his focus on genetic susceptibility to lung diseases such as asthma - including the landmark discovery of ADAM33 as the first novel asthma gene.

“John’s relentless efforts to help the broader research community are considerable and greatly valued.”

Supporting the next generation

Beyond research, Prof Holloway is a dedicated educator and mentor. He became a lecturer in Pharmacology in 2005. This role has seen him help shape both undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Prof Holloway is also Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. This reflects his commitment to teaching excellence. He has supervised more than 15 PhD and MD candidates.

In his role as Associate Vice President of Interdisciplinary Research at UoS, Prof Holloway co-leads the interdisciplinary research programme and research culture strategy.