Dominic Kwiatkowski applied genomics and computational analysis to problems in infectious disease, with the aim of finding ways to reduce the burden of disease in the developing world.
After training as a paediatrician Dominic spent several years in West Africa, where malaria causes high levels of childhood mortality, and this has been a major focus of his research over the past thirty years. He made significant contributions to the understanding of malaria pathogenesis and genetic mechanisms of resistance to the disease. He also pioneered genome-wide association studies in Africa and has led large international collaborations to characterise the genomic diversity of parasite and mosquito populations around the world. This work is yielding deep insights into the evolutionary biology of drug and insecticide resistance with practical implications for disease control.
In 2005 Dominic founded a data-sharing network, MalariaGEN, which has fostered productive research collaborations in more than 40 malaria endemic countries, and has become a model for equitable sharing of genetic data and research capacity building in resource-poor settings.
Professor Dominic Kwiatkowski FMedSci FRS died on 27 April 2023.
Professional position
- Head of Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge
- Professor of Genomics and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine (John Radcliffe Hospital), University of Oxford
