Promotions at CGEM: Professor Riccardo Marioni

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Riccardo Marioni was recently promoted to a Personal Chair of Molecular Epidemiology of Ageing. Professor Marioni has been at the University of Edinburgh for 9 years, beginning as a Chancellor’s Fellow in 2013.

The Marioni Group use computational models to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie brain health and neurodegeneration. Much of their research focuses on DNA methylation; chemical changes to DNA that turn genes on and off and can be influenced by genes, lifestyle, and the environment, making them ideal candidates to help us understand the interaction between nature and nurture. The group’s research is currently funded by support from the Alzheimer's Society, the Wellcome Trust, and UK Research and Innovation.

Professor Marioni is also a co-PI of Generation Scotland. Generation Scotland is a family and population-based study to improve the health and well-being of current and future generations through partnership between researchers and volunteers. Over 24,000 volunteers have been recruited since 2006 with a focus on the integration of questionnaires and NHS records with innovative laboratory science and data analytics for health research.