Professor of Molecular Pathology and Genetics. Name: Tim AitmanCategory: Current staff member at Edinburgh Medical SchoolRole: Professor of Molecular Pathology and Genetics and Centre Director of CGEM Tim is Professor of Molecular Pathology and Genetics at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer. He has made significant contributions to the field of genetics, including the development of high-throughput whole genome sequencing in Edinburgh. Since his appointment in 2014, he has led the Scottish Genomes Partnership, which has enabled the precise genetic diagnosis of 90 patients with rare diseases. Tim has also played a crucial role in the Covid pandemic, leading the TestEd programme, which detected and diagnosed Covid from saliva samples in asymptomatic carriers. He has been recognised for his work with several awards, including the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Innovation Prize and the Principal's Medal for exceptional service to the University. Tim is also the founder of the One Health Genomics Edinburgh network, which aims to bring together the Edinburgh genomics community to address global challenges. He is passionate about early cancer detection and is working on developing technologies that will transform cancer care, making it possible to treat cancer as an outpatient procedure with minimal invasion and trauma. This article was published on 2026-03-11
