Matthew Hurles

Matthew Edward Hurles (born 1974)^[1] is a British scientist who is director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute^[6][5] and an honorary professor of Human Genetics and Genomics at the University of Cambridge.^[7]

Matt Hurles FRS FMedSci
Born	Matthew Edward Hurles (1974-05-08) 8 May 1974 (age 51)[1][2] Hammersmith, London, England[1]
Education	Hampton School
Alma mater	University of Oxford (BA)[3] University of Leicester (PhD)
Awards	Crick Lecture (2013)[4]
Scientific career
Fields	Genetics[5]
Institutions	Wellcome Sanger Institute University of Cambridge Congenica Ltd[2]
Thesis	Mutation and variability of the human Y chromosome (1999)
Doctoral advisor	Mark Jobling[3]
Website	www.sanger.ac.uk/people/directory/hurles-matthew

Education

Hurles was privately educated at Hampton School^[1] and the University of Oxford where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry. He completed his PhD in 1999 on the genetics of the Y chromosome at the University of Leicester supervised by Mark Jobling^[3][8][9]

Research and career

Hurles research investigates the causes and consequences of new mutations as DNA is passed from one generation to the next.^[4] He is best known for his work on characterizing the extent and impact of structural variation in the human genome and on deciphering the genetic architecture of severe neurodevelopmental disorders.^[4]

Hurles group has used large-scale genomic studies to highlight the predominant role that new mutations of many different types play in causing diverse developmental disorders and has led to the discovery of tens of previously unrecognised genetic diseases.^{[4][10][11][12]}

Awards and honours

Hurles was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2019.^[1][4] He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) and was awarded the Crick Medal and Lecture in 2013.^[4]