News | UK Biocentre Chief Executive awarded OBE.
Dr Tony Cox, Chief Executive at UK Biocentre, has been awarded the OBE for services to science and the COVID-19 response in recognition of his instrumental role at the forefront of the national testing effort.
Since joining UK Biocentre in January 2020, Dr Cox has led a rapid and highly effective response to COVID-19. Under his leadership, our laboratories have been transformed to significantly increase our testing capacity on an industrial scale. Through the use of a highly automated process our laboratories are able to test tens of thousands of swabs every day.
The very successful testing capability, pioneered by UK Biocentre, has been replicated at other UK laboratories.
Over 400 scientists and volunteers now work at the UK Biocentre, testing COVID samples 24 hours a day, every day. To date, more than 4 million samples have been analysed by our laboratories and we continue to increases our testing capacity.
Image credit: ITV News Anglia.
Dr Cox’s leadership has been instrumental in the success of UK Biocentre. However, these achievements would not have been possible without scientists, other dedicated colleagues as well as a wide range of partners.
Dr Tony Cox OBE said: “It is an enormous privilege to receive this honour. The award acknowledges the work we have all done - together - to create an accurate scalable testing capability here at UK Biocentre. Thank you to everyone - partners, scientists and colleagues - who have made this possible.”
Professor Peter Weissberg, Chairman of UK Biocentre, said: “I am delighted that Tony, our outstanding Chief Executive at UK Biocentre, has been awarded the OBE for services to science and the COVID-19 response. Tony joined UK Biocentre in January this year and following a request from the Government in March he has galvanised the organisation, overseeing a rapid and highly effective response to COVID-19. From a standing start, Tony has overseen a transformation in our laboratories using a highly automated process to test tens of thousands of swabs every day.”
UK Biocentre will not only continue to make a huge contribution to the COVID-19 response but also play our part in ensuring the UK has world class diagnostic testing facilities for the future.
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