Chris Ponting

Chris Ponting is Chair of Medical Bioinformatics and a Principal Investigator at the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer.

 Transitioning from training as a physicist in the 1980s to researching human disease, Chris joined the University in 2016. Originally from the University of Oxford, he has embraced life in Edinburgh, finding inspiration and clarity in his walks through Holyrood Park.

Chris is particularly proud of several initiatives he has introduced to Edinburgh Medical School. These include the Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship programme, which has welcomed 17 talented postdoctoral researchers from non-biomedical backgrounds into biomedicine, and the Edinburgh Cellular Genomics Consortium, which he established in 2016 to incorporate new single-cell genomic technologies into the school. 

Additionally, he set up and leads DecodeME, the world’s largest genetics study into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This study has gained international attention and is pivotal in advancing the understanding and potential treatment of this underfunded condition. 

DecodeME has also built the world’s largest data set on ME/CFS, creating a resource which will enable future research around the world.
His efforts have meaningfully advanced the field of medical genetics, fostering deeper insights into complex health conditions.