IoO Inaugural Lecture with Professor Alice Davidson

Alice Davidson

Professor of Molecular Genetics at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology

Alice started her scientific research career at The University of Manchester (UK), where she undertook a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology investigating the role of bestrophin-1 in ocular disease. Her doctoral studies made a significant contribution to the field by elucidating underlying disease mechanisms, deciphering phenotype-genotype correlations and expanding the phenotypic spectrum of diseases. Her first postdoctoral position, at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO) UK, focused on identifying novel genetic causes of autosomal recessive retinal diseases by exploiting homozygosity mapping of consanguineous pedigrees and new developments in next generation sequencing methods. Alice’s research contributed to the identification of 6 novel genetic causes of ocular conditions including Leber’s congenital amaurosis, benign fleck retina and retinitis pigmentosa.

Alice undertook a second postdoctoral position at UCL IoO investigating the genetics of complex and monogenic corneal diseases, a diverse range of conditions including keratoconus, X-linked megalocornea, epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy and TGFBI-associated dystrophies. During this period she developed a special interest in the genetic causes and molecular mechanisms underlying inherited corneal disease, and was awarded a Fight for Sight Early Career Investigator Award in 2015 to initiate her own independent research program at UCL IoO to focus on this area.

Currently Alice's research program at UCL aims to identify genetic origins and mechanisms underlying inherited corneal diseases to facilitate the design and development of innovative and effective diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. Since initiating her group at the IoO in 2015, she has been awarded £3.5 million from research councils, charities, and the biotech sector and received three successive personal fellowships, including a highly competitive UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) (2020-24), recently renewed for a further 3 years in recognition of her leadership in this space (2024-27). Her research addresses fundamental questions of biological and clinical significance that are of benefit and relevance to a broad range of disciplines.

• Spotlight on Professor Davidson 
• HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh visits Professor Alice Davidson's lab

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