Andrew Potter

Biography

Dr. Potter is internationally recognized for his visionary research into how bacteria cause disease and his work at the interface of human and animal health. His ground-breaking projects have contributed to several world firsts, including the world's first genetically engineered animal vaccine and vaccines to protect against pathogens found in food and water. Dr. Potter completed his undergraduate studies at Carleton University and received his PhD in microbiology from the University of Otago (New Zealand) in 1981. Recruited from Health Canada in Ottawa, Dr. Potter joined VIDO in 1985 as a research scientist. He was subsequently appointed as VIDO-InterVac’s Associate Director (Research) in 1994 and then became the new CEO and Director in 2007. In 2011, Dr. Potter was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Science (CAHS), joining a distinguished group of health and biomedical science leaders. He also runs a successful research program well-funded by competitive grants at the national level. Recently, he has been working on the application of genomics to the animal health field and is forging links between the animal and human infectious disease research communities to ensure that technologies common to both fields can be leveraged to their greatest benefit. He has mentored more than 40 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who currently hold positions in industry, academia and government worldwide, and he has contributed to more than 60 patents for human and animal vaccines and therapeutics. Dr. Potter has served on a number of public and private sector committees, and has been instrumental in transferring technology from the VIDO-InterVac laboratories to the private sector. He interacts frequently with major animal health companies and serves as a consultant to numerous smaller ones.

Research Interest

Dr. Potter has served on a number of public and private sector committees, and has been instrumental in transferring technology from the VIDO-InterVac laboratories to the private sector. He interacts frequently with major animal health companies and serves as a consultant to numerous smaller ones.