Prof David Jones
Professor of Bioinformatics
Dept of Computer Science
Faculty of Engineering Science
- Joined UCL
- 1st Jul 2001
Research summary
My main research interests are in protein structure prediction and
analysis, simulations of protein folding, Hidden Markov Model methods,
transmembrane protein analysis, machine learning applications in
bioinformatics, de novo protein design methodology, and genome
analysis including the application of intelligent software agents. New
areas of research include the use of high throughput computing and Grid
technology for bioinformatics applications, analysis and prediction of
protein disorder, expression array data analysis
and the analysis and prediction of protein function and protein-protein
interactions.
Teaching summary
I currently organise the Bioinformatics module which is part of the MSc Machine Learning and Computational Statistics degree at UCL and contribute lectures to the 3rd year UG Bioinformatics course in the Dept. of Structural and Molecular Biology.
Education
- University College London
- Doctorate, Doctor of Philosophy | 1993
- King's College London
- Other higher degree, Master of Science | 1990
- Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
- First Degree, Bachelor of Science (Honours) | 1989
Biography
David Jones received his B.Sc. in Physics from Imperial College and then
went on to do an M.Sc. in Biochemistry at Kings College London,
followed by a PhD in computational biology at University College London.
After completing a Wellcome Trust Biomathematics Fellowship at UCL, in
1995 he was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to
set up his own lab at the University of Warwick. In 1999, at 32 years of
age, he became the first Professor of Bioinformatics in the UK at
Brunel University. In 2001, he was appointed Professor of Bioinformatics
at University College London (a joint appointment between the
departments of Biochemistry and Computer Science). He is currently the
Director of the Bloomsbury Centre for Bioinformatics, a joint research
centre between UCL and Birkbeck College. His lab aims to develop and
apply state-of-the-art mathematical and computer science techniques to
problems now arising in the life sciences, particularly those driven by
the post-genomic era. David\'s main research interests include protein
structure prediction and analysis, simulations of protein folding,
applications of Hidden Markov Models, transmembrane protein analysis,
machine learning applications in bioinformatics, biological text mining,
de novo protein design methodology, and genome analysis including the
application of intelligent soft ware agents. He is also the author of a
number of very well-known bioinformatics applications: THREADER,
GenTHREADER, PSIPRED and MEMSAT, and was one of the original co-authors
of the CATH protein structure classification scheme developed in the
Dept. of Biochemistry at UCL (along with Profs. Christine Orengo and
Janet Thornton). David was also a co-founder of Inpharmatica Ltd., which
was founded in 1998 as a spin-out company from University College
London. The company uses a combination of bioinformatics and
chemoinformatics to look at the relationships between the structure and
function of proteins, and the binding of chemical groups to these
proteins leading to the discovery of novel drugs.
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