Michael Houghton Ph..D is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta where he directs the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute. He is also the Chief Scientific Officer of the non-profit Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API). 

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2020 for his work with USA colleagues Drs Qui-Lim Choo & George Kuo that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1989. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to medicine which included the elucidation of the viral genomes of HCV & HDV as well as the identification of the primary sequence of the natural antiviral, human fibroblast interferon. Deeply committed to medical research, he is involved in researching many areas of unmet medical need and serious disease.