Dr. Kayla King awarded Royal Society’s Francis Crick Medal

Evolutionary biologist Dr. Kayla King has been awarded the 2025 Francis Crick Medal and Lecture by the Royal Society of London for contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology and genetics of infectious disease. The prize is awarded to scientists who have received their PhD in the biological sciences within the past 15 years. Preference is usually given to the fields of genetics, molecular biology and neurobiology. 

Dr. King is a professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair in UBC’s departments of Zoology and Microbiology and Immunology, and a professorial fellow at Oxford University. She is interested in the effects of a warming climate and biodiversity loss to the evolution of pathogens virulence and animal health during infection.  

“It’s an immense privilege to have my research recognized by the Royal Society of London,” Dr. King said. “I feel fortunate every day to be able to think about science and make new discoveries, together with my brilliant students and excellent colleagues. I'm thrilled that my fields of study, evolutionary biology and genetics of infectious disease, are being highlighted by this Crick Medal.” 

Dr. King’s work aims to unravel how traits such as virulence and transmissibility evolve in established and emerging pathogens. She employs a diverse toolkit in the lab to understand potential paths pathogens can take over time, using genomic data to explore what kinds of variants might emerge and spread as animals (for example, mosquitoes) move their pathogens around with climate change. This question is particularly important for pathogens with the potential to jump to livestock or humans. 

Climate change is causing extreme heating and altering the distribution of microbial pathogens, while associated human activity and biodiversity loss are increasing human-animal contact—factors that might contribute to infectious diseases becoming more prevalent. 

Dr. King’s work has advanced our understanding of infectious disease evolution and has shown, for example, that rising temperatures can impact disease virulence, thereby highlighting the need to consider infectious diseases in assessing species’ resilience amidst climate change. Discoveries like these can be used to inform wildlife conservation and get ahead in the race against zoonoses.” 

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said: “The recipients of this year’s medals and awards have all made outstanding contributions to science and its applications for the benefit of humanity. They have done so through by furthering our understanding of the processes that govern the world around us, changing the practices of academia to build a more robust and inclusive research environment, and engaging new audiences.”