Dr Cassidy Nelson

As Director of Biosecurity Policy at CLTR, Dr. Cassidy Nelson leads a team working to safeguard against pandemics and address extreme biological risks through targeted policy engagement.

Cassidy 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 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 as a consultant to the World Health Organization, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, and RAND Europe. Her past research focused on early warning systems and the detection of novel ‘Disease X’ pathogens with pandemic potential.

Cassidy currently serves as an expert adviser on the UK’s Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel and the EU AI Act Scientific Panel. She is an alumna of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security’s Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative and the Council on Strategic Risks’ Midcareer Biodefense Fellowship.