Professor Celia Holland

Biography

Celia Holland, BSc, PhD, MRIA is a Professor of Parasitology in the Discipline of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences. Her PhD at the Molteno Institute, University of Cambridge, explored how helminth parasites interact within an experimental system. She held a postdoctoral fellowship in Cornell University, exploring the impact of parasites on child growth and vitamin status. This included fieldwork in Panama, where she developed her main research passion - the epidemiology of globally significant but neglected helminths, such as Ascaris. Human ascariasis has been described as the ultimate Neglected Tropical Disease, both because of its impact on child health and the general lack of awareness of its true global importance. These international experiences enabled her to develop unique and complimentary skills in both field and laboratory approaches to the study of human ascarids. In recognition of her research, she was elected to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy and Fellowship of Trinity College. In the Academy, her roles have included Vice President, member of Council and member of the Committee on the Assessment of candidates for membership. Prof. Holland is an Invited Expert on the WHO Advisory Panel on Parasitic Diseases and a member of the WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) - deworming. She has published widely on parasitology and related topics and has edited several books including sole editorship of Ascaris the neglected parasite and the senior editorship of Toxocara the enigmatic parasite. She is a committed and renowned teacher providing courses on Parasitology and Data Handling to students in both Science and Medicine. She was awarded a Provost's Teaching Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019. She has undertaken various leadership roles including Head of School, Head of Discipline, Director of Research and Chair of the School of Natural Sciences Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team.