John Marioni honoured by Blavatnik Awards

Senior Group Leader Dr John Marioni has been selected as a finalist in the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. The honourees are recognised for their research which is already transforming technology and our understanding of the world.

Dr John Marioni has been recognised in the Life Sciences category for pioneering the statistical analysis of gene expression patterns in individual cells, which has led to a radical paradigm shift in the field of transcriptomics. The understanding of gene expression in single cells promises to have a profound effect on our knowledge of disease progression, drug metabolism, ageing, and developmental biology.

Marioni first developed foundational statistical approaches to analyze whole-tissue RNA sequencing data from the liver of various mammalian species, establishing the computational foundations for the analysis of RNA-sequencing data. He built on this to generate statistical tools to interpret single-cell RNA sequencing data, contributing to the revolutionising of the transcriptomics field.

Additionally, Marioni has played an important role as one of the leaders of the Human Cell Atlas—an international consortium created with the ambitious goal of mapping the molecular footprint of every cell in the body. He also has a joint appointment with EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute as Head of Research.

Dr John Marioni said, “The interface between experimental and computational biology is one of the most exciting areas of active research: the ability to develop and apply quantitative approaches to help address fundamental biological questions, working closely with outstanding collaborators and all of the wonderful past and present members of my lab, is a huge privilege.”

The 2021 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK received 99 nominations from 49 academic and research institutions across the UK. The Blavatnik Awards in the UK sit alongside their global counterparts, the Blavatnik National Awards and the Blavatnik Regional Awards in the United States, and the Blavatnik Awards in Israel, all of which honour and support exceptional early-career scientists.

“The UK has always been recognised and admired for its scientific excellence,” commented Sir Leonard Blavatnik, head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and member of the President’s Council of the New York Academy of Sciences. “Each of this year’s Blavatnik Awards honourees is a rising star in their respective fields and it is a great pleasure to give them the global recognition they so richly deserve.”

The 2021 Blavatnik Awards in the UK Laureates and Finalists will be honoured, as pandemic restrictions allow, at a black-tie gala dinner and ceremony at Banqueting House in London, currently tentatively scheduled for 8th June 2021. On 9th June 2021, the honourees will present their research with a series of short, interactive lectures at a free public symposium, “Innovating for a Better Future: 9 Young Scientists Transforming our World”, also to be held at Banqueting House, from 11:00 to 18:00. To attend the symposium, go to nyas.org/innovating2021 to register.