Jeffrey Barrett

Jeffrey Barrett has a diverse work experience in the field of genomics and genetics. Jeffrey began their career at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in 2008, where they served as a Group Leader and Senior Group Leader. During this time, they led a research team focused on investigating the genetics of human disease and played a key role in building an international consortium studying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Jeffrey contributed to the discovery and dissection of 240 genetic associations in IBD and made significant contributions to understanding new biological pathways and the mechanisms of new IBD therapeutics.

In 2015, Barrett became the Founding Director of Open Targets, a large-scale public-private partnership that utilizes human genetics and genomics data to identify and prioritize drug targets. This innovative initiative brought together prestigious institutions such as the Sanger Institute, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, and four pharmaceutical companies. With a substantial investment of over £50 million, Open Targets focused on projects in the areas of cancer, neurodegeneration, and inflammation.

In 2018, Barrett joined Genomics plc as the Chief Scientific Officer and Director. In this role, they led the scientific and technical strategy for integrating diverse genomic data to identify new drug targets for serious diseases and improve precision health. Jeffrey oversaw a team of 40 scientists and engineers and was responsible for delivering external therapeutics R&D partnerships.

In 2020, Barrett joined the Wellcome Sanger Institute as the Director of the Covid-19 Genomics Initiative. Jeffrey played a crucial role in developing a comprehensive genomic surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2, producing thousands of viral genome sequences per week to support public health responses to outbreaks and monitor for new variants of the virus. Jeffrey was part of the COG-UK consortium, contributing to the national effort in understanding and combatting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most recently, in 2021, Barrett joined Nightingale Health as the Chief Scientific Officer, where they are applying their expertise in genomics to advance the company's scientific endeavors.

Overall, Jeffrey Barrett has a successful track record in leading scientific and research initiatives, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and making significant contributions to the field of genomics and genetics.

Jeffrey Barrett's education history includes a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jeffrey then pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (D. Phil.) in Statistical Genetics at the University of Oxford. Following their Ph.D., they engaged in further studies at the University of Cambridge, where they completed a postdoc in Statistical Genetics.