Ajit Lalvani is a professor of infectious diseases and medicine, Wellcome Trust senior clinical research fellow and National Institute of Health Research senior investigator at the Imperial College London. He is founding director of the Tuberculosis Research Unit and co-chair of respiratory infections at the National Heart and Lung Institute. His research program addresses the world's most serious respiratory infections: tuberculosis (TB) and pandemic influenza. Professor Lalvani qualified in medicine from the University of Oxford and completed specialty training in London, Cambridge and Basel. He was recruited from Oxford to Imperial College in 2007 to spearhead new strategies to tackle tuberculosis globally, including in London, Europe's TB capital. His work has shaped clinical practice and global public health policy, for which he has received several major awards. He has consistently translated his scientific discoveries into practical solutions for tackling infectious diseases through paradigm-shifting innovations that have revolutionized screening and diagnosis of TB. He has raised over US$20 million in competitive peer-reviewed research grants and published over 100 scholarly articles. His work has frequently been featured in broadcast and print media internationally.