Professor Peter Visscher has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant for a research project into the dimensionality of the human genome.
Understanding human genetic variation is important, since this influences differences in disease risk, lifespan, and behaviour, and impacts how societies are organised. However, despite enormous advances in DNA sequencing technologies and the discovery of hundreds of thousands of DNA variants statistically associated with complex traits, we still have little information on which variants are causative, what traits they affect, and how they function. Professor Visscher’s project aims to quantify the full range of human traits influenced by genetics and pinpoint the specific DNA changes responsible for each one, by applying new statistical methods on data from millions of human genomes and thousands of traits.
Professor Visscher, who is Professor of Quantitative Genetics at Oxford Population Health and the Big Data Institute, said ‘I am truly privileged to receive this ERC award after moving to Oxford only two years ago. Oxford University has been world-leading in establishing a number of very large human biobanks for research purposes, and data from these are essential for my ERC-funded research. I look forward to working with outstanding researchers across disciplines and departments on the project.’
Professor Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council, said ‘Congratulations to the new grant winners! Much of this pioneering research will contribute to solving some of the most pressing challenges we face.’
Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation, said: ‘These ERC grants are our commitment to making Europe the world’s hub for excellent research. By supporting projects that have the potential to redefine whole fields, we are not just investing in science but in the future prosperity and resilience of our continent. In the next competition rounds, scientists moving to Europe will receive even greater support in setting up their labs and research teams here. This is part of our Choose Europe for Science initiative, designed to attract and retain the world’s top scientists.’
Professor Visscher’s grant is one of seven awarded to researchers at the University of Oxford and one of 281 awarded to researchers around the world.