Gerry is the AXA Research Chair in Applied Pathogen Ecology at the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University College Cork.
Prior to joining UCC, Gerry was based at the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) in Tanzania for almost 17 years, where he established what is now known as its Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department.
Gerry works primarily upon malaria control, particularly vector control, quantitative ecology, community-based delivery of public health services and capacity strengthening at individual, systems, institutional, national and regional levels. He has supported several national malaria control programmes and established the locally managed Dar es Salaam City Council Urban Malaria Control Programme, which is now used as a model for governmental scale up of environmentally friendly larval source management of malaria vector mosquitoes across Tanzania.
His postgraduate research training collaborations with the Zambian Malaria Elimination Centre have since resulted in national initiatives to mobilise tens of thousands of Community Health Workers to serve basic healthcare needs, especially among isolated rural populations.
Some of his work with insecticidal bed nets has shaped global policies regarding universal coverage targets, as well as research investments to address the limitations and vulnerabilities of this invaluable life-saving technology. More recently, he has worked on adapting some of these new vector control approaches to combat Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses in both Africa and the Caribbean.