Dr. Simon Myers

Biography

Simon Myers is a prominent researcher in the field of mathematical genomics, specifically focusing on population genetics. His group's research primarily employs stochastic models to comprehend the patterns of variation within samples drawn from populations. His work includes developing methods to map disease genes in admixed populations and fine-mapping association signals. Over the years, he has dedicated part of his time to the Department of Statistics at Oxford and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. Myers has contributed significantly to understanding recombination patterns in various species, including humans, chimpanzees, and mice. His achievements encompass demonstrating that recombination occurs unevenly across the human genome, with hotspots being of short lifespan and shared across species. Furthermore, his research has led to the identification of sequence motifs linked to hotspot activity and recurrent disease-causing genomic rearrangements, specifically identifying the gene PRDM9. Currently, his group is actively engaged in research using experimental approaches based on population genetics. Myers collaborates with researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, focusing on association mapping disease genes and identifying causal variants in ethnically diverse cohorts. He is also part of analysis groups within major projects such as the Wellcome Trust Case-Control consortium and the 1000 Genomes Project.

Research Interests