Margaret Hosie is Professor of Comparative Virology at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. A veterinarian, she completed her Ph.D. studies on feline immunodeficiency virus in 1991 and subsequently she has pursued an academic research and teaching career in Glasgow, collaborating with colleagues in Europe, US, Australia and Japan.  She conducts research in infectious disease pathogenesis, diagnostics and vaccine development, with a focus on feline viruses. In 2002 she was awarded Recognised Specialist Status in Pathology (Microbiology) by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, in recognition of her contributions to these fields.

Her most significant scientific contributions have included the identification of determinants of virulence amongst feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) isolates, the development of methods to confirm FIV and feline leukaemia virus infections in diagnostic samples, the identification of vaccine-induced enhancement of FIV infection and elucidation of the mechanism of protection induced by whole inactivated FIV vaccines. She has also identified immunological correlates of feline retroviral infection, discovered the primary and co-receptor molecules for FIV infection, and more recently identified the first case of human-to-cat transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the UK. Over the years, her research findings have had implications for improving feline welfare as well as having wider, comparative and One Health significance.

Prof Hosie has served as a member of the Editorial Boards of Virus Genes and BMC Veterinary Research and has acted as a guest editor for Viruses Special Issues on companion animal virology.  She is currently a member of the UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network, The International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases and recently completed her second term on the British Veterinary Association Policy Committee. She is the INSPIRE lead for the School of Veterinary Medicine and actively encourages veterinary undergraduates to engage with research activities. She is also a member of the panel that is responsible for updating the AAFP: Feline Retrovirus Management Guidelines. She has been a member of the European Advisory Board for Cat Diseases (ABCD) since 2005 and was elected as President of the newly established Association, ABCD Europe, in 2019.