Professor Stothard is Chair in Medical Parasitology and Director of the COUNTDOWN research consortium at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He is an expert in the epidemiology, treatment and control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases. Russell has particular research interests in point-of-care diagnostics and evidence-based advocacy for setting appropriate international guidelines for NTD surveillance and control.

Russell has served as the Honorary General Secretary for the British Society for Parasitology (2011–2016) and as Honorary Scientific Secretary for the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2003–2010). He is currently co-editor of Parasitology and Advances in Parasitology and also serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Helminthology, Acta Tropica and Infectious Diseases of Poverty. He regularly writes scientific blogs, communication and regularly uses Twitter.