Keith Caldecott

Professor Keith Caldecott is a leading academic in genome stability and DNA repair mechanisms, affiliated with the University of Sussex's School of Life Sciences and the Genome Damage and Stability Centre (GDSC). He holds the title of Professor of Genome Stability and co-directs the GDSC, a multi-disciplinary research centre. His career includes roles at the University of Manchester (1995–2002) and Sussex since 2002, with notable academic distinctions including Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS), EMBO membership, and Academy of Medical Sciences fellowship (FMedSci).

Caldecott's research focuses on identifying DNA repair genes and their roles in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. His lab has discovered genetic causes of conditions like PNKP, TDP2, and XRCC1 mutations, aiding clinical diagnosis of hereditary diseases. He has secured grants from prestigious organizations such as the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Cancer Research UK, supporting projects on DNA repair pathways and their therapeutic applications.

Scientific achievements include elucidating the role of PNKP in single-strand break repair, discovering TDP2's function in resolving DNA topoisomerase-mediated damage, and linking XRCC1 mutations to cerebellar ataxia. His work spans collaborations with clinicians worldwide and has been featured in high-impact journals like Nature and Molecular Cell.

Caldecott teaches at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, supervising PhD and MSc students. His lab actively recruits postdoctoral researchers and maintains a focus on translational research to bridge basic science and clinical applications.