Hannah Mitchison

Professor Hannah Mitchison is a leading academic at University College London (UCL), where she serves as Professor of Molecular Medicine in the Genetics & Genomic Medicine Department at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. She is Head of the department (2022–present) and has held leadership roles in the Ciliopathy Alliance and UK Cilia Network. Her research focuses on ciliopathies and genetic mutations in rare diseases, particularly Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD).

• PhD in Biochemistry (University of Birmingham, 1991)
• BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry (University of Sussex, 1986)

Her research spans genetic discovery, functional studies of ciliary proteins, and translational genetic therapies for PCD and related disorders. Recent work includes large-scale genomic analyses with the 100,000 Genomes Project and developing the CiliaVar database for motile ciliopathy variants. She also explores genotype-phenotype correlations in PCD cohorts across the UK, Finland, and Palestine.

Her teaching roles include supervising PhD and MSc students, lecturing on UCL’s MSc Cell & Gene Therapy and Genomic Medicine programs, and leading the module Genomics of Common and Rare Inherited Diseases. She is co-lead for UCL on the Health Education England-supported MSc Genomic Medicine course.

Scientific contributions include over 170 journal articles, with recent high-impact publications in Nature, Science, and European Respiratory Journal, emphasizing genomic approaches and novel therapies for ciliopathies. Collaborations with clinical teams and patient advocacy groups like the Ciliopathy Alliance underscore her translational focus. Funding comes from organizations including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre.