Kevin Francis began his scientific career in 1987 as a viral research scientist, developing FMDV vaccines for Wellcome in the UK. In 1990 he returned to academia to pursue a PhD in bacterial pathogenesis at University of Edinburgh, followed by 4 years as a postdoctoral scientist at University of Nottingham and 2 years as an Assistant Professor at the Technical University of Munich. In 1999 he joined Xenogen Corporation, now part of PerkinElmer, as Director of Infectious Disease Research, before becoming Head of Biology R&D. He is currently a Fellow within this organization, helping to direct scientific innovation both internally and externally through collaborative research with PE’s extensive customer base. In February 2008 Kevin was awarded an Honorary Professorship in the Department of Surgery at the University Medical Center Groningen, and currently serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA and in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology at Texas A&M.