Cambridge Judge alumnus Dr Jonathan Pearce awarded an MBE for services to COVID-19 research.
Dr Jonathan Pearce, a Cambridge MBA alumnus of Cambridge Judge Business School (MBA 1999) who also holds bachelors and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge, was honoured with an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020 for services to COVID-19 research.
Jonathan, currently Interim Director COVID-19 Response at the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), worked with partners across the MRC and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), to establish the UKRI-NIHR COVID-19 rapid response initiative, which was launched in February 2020 and has funded more than 75 projects relating to understanding, treating and controlling coronavirus, and he oversees UKRI’s investments in large scale COVID-19 platforms. Supported projects include the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the RECOVERY trial, which proved the efficacy of dexamethasone, and large-scale investments such as COG‑UK, which is tracking the emergence and spread of new variants.
Prior to his current role, Jonathan was Associate Director at Biological Medicine, Head of Infections and Immunity at the MRC, and a consultant at L.E.K. Consulting.