Ian Bricknell joined SMS from his position as Group Leader, Immunological Diagnostics in the Fisheries Research Service Laboratory, Aberdeen, Scotland. He works on the developmental immunity of larval fishes and with host-pathogen interactions. His interests include: the interaction of parasites with their host and the mechanisms they employ to avoid the host's defence mechanisms; immunological detection of fish diseases; the development of the immune system of larval fishes and the onset of immunocompetence; and, the mechanisms that larval fish use to contain or resist infection.