John Paul Bignell
Pathologist
John Bignell is the Senior Pathologist at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and has over 20 years’ experience interpreting pathological changes and infectious diseases in aquatic organisms. He provides histopathology health assessments of fish and bivalves for The Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations 2009, Defra/non-Defra research and development programmes, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Collaborating Centre for Emerging Aquatic Animal Disease. John also leads the application of digital pathology at Cefas for activities under the WOAH Collaborating Centre including development of the Registry of Aquatic Pathology (RAP). As principal investigator for the Marine Fish Diseases component of the UK Government Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP) and the Biological Effects of contaminants in Estuarine and Marine Organisms (BECEMO) programme, John provides scientific leadership and histopathology assessments in support of international and national monitoring of hazardous chemicals and their effects under the Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR) Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme (CEMP), the UK Marine Strategy, and the chemical exposure indicator of the Defra 25-year Environmental Plan. John is a member of the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS) Biological Effects of Contaminants in Marine Environment (BECME) working group, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Expert Working Groups on the Biological Effects of Contaminants (WGBEC) and Parasites and Diseases in Marine Organisms (WGPDMO). John’s long-term research interests focus on how aquatic wildlife is adversely affected by exposure to hazardous chemicals, specifically in relation to carcinogenesis.
Email: John.bignell@cefas.gov.uk
