Dr. Joshua Atkins

Biography

Joshua Atkins is a Senior Genomic Epidemiologist at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit (CEU) of the University of Oxford. He leads research at the intersection of genomics, epidemiology, and cancer biology, focusing on identifying genetic risk factors for cancer development and progression, particularly common cancers. Dr. Atkins is currently spearheading a research project that investigates the factors driving aggressive prostate cancer, with particular emphasis on the interplay between genetics and molecular tumor characteristics. His research also explores the role of rare germline variation combined with common genetic susceptibility in early-onset cancers. Dr. Atkins is a member of several key research consortia, including the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL), and the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), as well as the ENIGMA CNV working group. He holds a bachelor's degree with class honors in Biomedical Science from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and earned his PhD in Medical Genetics. Additionally, he completed post-doctoral training at the International Agency for Research on Cancer - World Health Organization, where he focused on genetic factors associated with lung cancer and the germline determinants of mutational signatures in the Mutographs project.

Research Interests

Experience