This prestigious annual lecture, named after the Genetics Society’s first President, is an award to mark the contributions to genetics of an outstanding young investigator. The Balfour Lecturer is elected by the Society’s Committee on the basis of nominations made by any individual member of the Society.
Nicky’s research uses computational approaches and genomics to interpret to understand the genetics of rare diseases. She works alongside the Department of Paediatrics and collaborates with the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC), with her work improving our understanding of many severe Paediatric disorders. Nicky has a particular interest in genetic variants that impact gene regulation and how modulating gene regulation can be used to treat rare disease. She is an expert in the annotation and interpretation of variants in non-coding regions of the genome, for which she has led the creation of clinical guidelines.
Read more here: Balfour Lecture 2025 Dr Nicky Whiffin | Genetics Society
