The Department of Statistics is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Cecilia Lindgren as a Visiting Professor in Statistics for three years.
A leading expert in statistical genomics and computational biology, Professor Lindgren brings extensive experience in applying advanced statistical methods to understand complex biological systems and human health.
‘We are delighted to welcome Professor Lindgren to the Department,’ said Professor Christl Donnelly, Head of the Department of Statistics. ‘She is a leader in data science with interests in methods as well as translational health impacts. At the same time, she has demonstrated a long-term commitment to mentorship and leadership development. We look forward to working with her.’
Professor Cecilia Lindgren said: ‘I’m honoured to be joining the Department of Statistics and the MPLS Division as a Visiting Professor. Oxford’s Department of Statistics is internationally recognised for its methodological rigour, intellectual depth, and impact across the statistical sciences. Beyond this, what draws me most is the Department’s uniquely scholarly and collegial environment, and its deep commitment to training and supporting the next generation of researchers. I look forward to meaningful collaborations, contributing where I can, and learning from the vibrant academic community.’
Professor Lindgren joins the Department following a career dedicated to applying biostatistics to unravel the genetic and biological underpinnings of common complex diseases. She has made substantial contributions to understanding the genetic landscape of metabolic and endocrine disorders, helping to uncover genetic variants that influence obesity and fat distribution and providing critical insights into metabolic health. She was Professor of Genomic Endocrinology & Metabolism in the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, a Group Head at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics and a senior research fellow at St. Anne's College.
Professor Lindgren has received several major awards, including the Mary Lyon Medal awarded by the Genetics Society and induction into the Academy of Medical Sciences as a Fellow (2023), the Mentorship Award from the American Society of Human Genetics (2018), and the inaugural Leena Peltonen Prize for Excellence in Human Genetics (2013). She has been recognised among Thomson Reuters' 100 ‘most highly cited researchers’ in Molecular Biology and Genetics consecutively since 2014.
She completed her PhD in Molecular Genetics at the University of Lund, Sweden, spending part of her doctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute Centre for Genome Research, at MIT. After post-doctoral work at the Karolinska Institute, she joined the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford and later spent three years as a Scholar in Residence at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. She became Director of the Oxford Big Data Institute in 2021, a role she held until early 2024.
In addition to her academic role, Professor Lindgren serves as Co-Director of the AI & Data platform at EIT and is Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Aneira Health, a startup advancing smart and sustainable healthcare for women through AI and computational biology.
Professor Lindgren's appointment builds on the Department's existing strengths in statistical applications to genomics and big data analytics, while deepening the close connections between the Department of Statistics and the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT). Her affiliation will create new opportunities for collaboration and training across the University’s data science and health research communities, and further strengthen ties with EIT.