Dr Robert Hillary

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Biography

Background

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow based in the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer.  I am interested in using multiple lines of ‘omics’ data (such as genomics, epigenomics, proteomics) to understand biological mechanisms underlying complex disease states. 

 

I completed my PhD with Dr Riccardo Marioni based at the then Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology. I was also supervised by Dr Kathyrn Evans, Prof Craig Ritchie and Prof Ian Deary. 

Qualifications

2021, PhD in Translational Neuroscience (funded by Wellcome Trust), The University of Edinburgh 

2020, Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

2017, BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science (Pharmacology Major), First Class Honours with Highest Honours, National University of Ireland, Galway

 

Responsibilities & affiliations

Committee Membership: Molecular Epidemiology UK 

Laboratory demonstrator for 2nd and 3rd Year Chemistry, Pharmacology and Biomedical Science undergraduate students

Supervision and Mentorship for students on Translational Neuroscience and Biomedical AI PhD Programmes and Quantitative Genetics and Genome Analysis MSc Programme

Research summary

My primary research interest is to use computational methods to identify the molecular risk factors that underlie complex disease states. Primarily, I employ pipelines to analyse multi-omics data and integrate these data with causal modelling methodologies to uncover possibly causal molecular pathways driving common disease risk mechanisms. 

 

This work has been made possible through the large population-based studies Generation Scotland, UK Biobank, and the Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936.

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