
Dr Simon Spiro
Wildlife veterinary pathologist for the Zoological Society of London
Speaker's biography
Dr Simon Spiro is the wildlife veterinary pathologist for the Zoological Society of London, an international conservation charity. He provides a pathology service to the 23,000 animals, across 800 species, that live within ZSL’s London and Whipsnade Zoos, as well as being the pathologist for the ZSL-led Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) that investigates the carcasses of stranded cetaceans, turtles, sharks and seals in English and Welsh waters. As well as his diagnostic caseload, Dr Spiro teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Royal Veterinary College and engages in clinical research.
Dr Spiro holds degrees in pathology and veterinary medicine from the University of Cambridge, a DPhil in infectious diseases from the University of Oxford and a master’s in veterinary pathology from the Royal Veterinary College. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathology. Prior to his work at ZSL, he worked as a molecular virologist at the Pirbright Institute, developing vaccines for oncogenic poultry viruses, and as a diagnostic pathologist for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).