Peter Donnelly facts for kids

Sir Peter James Donnelly (born 15 May 1959) is an Australian-British mathematician. He is a Professor of Statistical Science at the University of Oxford and the CEO of Genomics PLC. Sir Peter is an expert in applied probability and has contributed to coalescent theory, which helps understand how genes change over time. His research team at Oxford is well-known for creating new ways to analyze genetic information.

FRS FMedSci

Early Life and Education

Peter James Donnelly grew up in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. His parents were Austin and Sheila Donnelly. He has two sisters, Sharon and Melda. He attended St. Joseph's Christian Brothers College, Gregory Terrace. Later, he studied at the University of Queensland and Balliol College, Oxford.

Academic Career

Sir Peter Donnelly became a professor at Queen Mary College, London when he was only 29 years old in 1988. He also held a professorship at the University of Chicago from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 2001, he led the Department of Statistics at the University of Oxford.

Between 2007 and 2018, he was the Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG) in Oxford. He is also a fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford.

Work with DNA Evidence

Many top statistical geneticists, like David Balding and Matthew Stephens, worked with Sir Peter when they were starting their careers. He is well-known for his skills in understanding DNA evidence. He has even served as an expert witness in criminal trials to help explain DNA findings.

Sir Peter is also known for working closely with biologists. He has been a key part of big research projects. These include the International HapMap Project, which mapped common genetic variations, and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, a large study looking for genes linked to diseases.

In 2015, Sir Peter was chosen to be the Chairman of the Royal Society's Machine Learning Working Group. This group explores how computers can learn from data.

Awards and Recognition

Sir Peter Donnelly has received many important awards for his work. In 2006, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Two years later, in 2008, he became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Other notable awards and honors include:

• 1980: University Medal from the University of Queensland
• 1980-1983: Rhodes Scholarship, a famous award for international students
• 1995: Elected Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
• 2004: Guy Medal in Silver from the Royal Statistical Society
• 2007: The main paper from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, which Sir Peter led, won several awards. These included The Lancet's Paper of the Year.
• 2009: Awarded the Weldon Memorial Prize
• 2022: Received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Melbourne

In 2019, Sir Peter Donnelly was made a knight. This honor was given for his important contributions to understanding human genetics and diseases.

See also

• R v Adams