News

System to auto-detect new variants will inform better response to future infectious disease outbreaks

10 January 2025

Phylowave; The latest framework developed by researchers to identify more infectious variants of viruses or bacteria, including those responsible for flu, COVID, whooping cough and tuberculosis. Noémie Le Franq , lead author, has had her manuscript published in Nature on 01 January 2025. Noémie was a joint PhD student...

The Infinite Monkey Cage

18 December 2024

Dr Ben Steventon featured on the latest episode of the Infinite Monkey Cage, 'The Science of Baby Making', which aired on Thursday 05 December. Professor Brian Coz and Robin Ince were joined by Sara Pascoe, Professor Joyce Harper and Dr Ben Steventon to discuss all things embryology, IVF and artificial wombs. You can...

Professional Services Recognition Scheme - Award Winners 2024

18 December 2024

We are absolutely delighted to report that for the fourth year in a row members of the Department were announced as winners in the Professional Services Recognition ceremony on Thursday 05 December 2024. Emily Kempin was the winner of the individual award in the new Improving Our Environmental Performance category...

ERC Consolidator Grants 2024

18 December 2024

We are delighted to share that Dr Henrik Salje has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant, as only 1 in 4 Life Sciences awarded in the UK. He will be exploring how host, immunity and mosquito factors combine to determine the evolving fitness of the dengue virus The title of the project is: Linking vector, virus and...

Sir Kenneth Mather Memorial Prize 2025

22 November 2024

Many congratulations to Noémie Lefranq on being awarded the 2025 Sir Kenneth Mather Memorial Prize by the Genetics Society. Noémie was a joint PhD student between the Pathogen Dynamics Group at the Department of Genetics and the Pathogen Genomics and Evolution Group at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. She worked on...

David P Judge 1948 - 2024

25 October 2024

David P Judge 1948-2024 david_p_judge.jpg David Judge was a computer scientist who pioneered Bioinformatics training in the University and more widely. In 1986 he started the University of Cambridge Bioinformatics Training Facility in the Department of Genetics and virtually single handedly developed and ran it until his...

Paul Fannon awarded OBE

19 June 2024

The Department of Genetics is delighted to announce that Paul Fannon, a teaching associate in data science and machine learning in our bioinformatics training facility has been awarded an OBE for services to Education. Paul has taught many aspects of mathematics across the University and he won CUSU student-led teaching...

Schmidt Science Fellows 2024

10 June 2024

The Award The Schmidt Science Fellowships are highly competitive awards established by Eric Schmidt from Google that support a pathway to independence. Around 30 awards are made internationally per year to individuals with recent PhDs that are focused on analytical approaches in the sciences. We have two recipients from...

Grant awarded to the Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability

10 June 2024

We are delighted to announce the Department of Genetics is participating in a major new research initiative funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome. Led by Prof Eske Willerslev at the University of Copenhagen, who will shortly join the Department as a Director of Research, and Prof Richard Durbin, the AEGIS (...

Dr Adelaide Carpenter, 1944 - 2024

3 June 2024

It is with great sadness we announce the death of Adelaide Carpenter. Adelaide has been in the Department for over 30 years, initially working in Michael Ashburner’s lab, then with David Glover and latterly as a visitor in Felipe’s group. Prior to coming to Cambridge she was a full professor at University of California...