Dr Cassidy Nelson
Head of Biosecurity Policy
Dr. Cassidy Nelson is a dual-trained physician-scientist who completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Biology at the University of Oxford and her Medical Degree at the University of Queensland. She also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Developmental Biology.
For the decade prior to her current role, Cassidy worked as a doctor in clinical medicine and infectious disease public health in Australia and as a biosecurity researcher at the University of Oxford. She has advised internationally on health security policy and has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, and RAND Europe.
Cassidy’s academic research has focused on deliberate biological threats and detection for pandemic prevention of ‘Disease X’ novel pathogens. In 2021, she was named a Fellow of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security’s Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative.