Steven Watterson

Dr Steven Watterson is a Lecturer in Computational Biology (Hypertension) at the University of Ulster, affiliated with the School of Medicine within the Faculty of Life & Health Sciences. His work integrates systems biology, computational modeling, and biomedical data to understand cholesterol metabolism and cardiovascular disease.

Education:

• MPhys (Hons) in Physics – University of Edinburgh
• PhD in Mathematics – Trinity College Dublin
• Postdoctoral training at Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Edinburgh

Research Focus: Steven’s research centers on the dynamic networks of genes, proteins, and small molecules that govern biological function. He investigates how these networks are altered in disease states, particularly in cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and how they can be therapeutically reprogrammed. His work spans cholesterol metabolism, interferon signaling, and innate immunity.

Teaching & Leadership: He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and coordinates modules in mathematical and computational methods for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Stratified Medicine. He has supervised multiple PhD students and contributes to curriculum development in computational biology.

Scientific Awards:

• Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) – 2024
• Distinguished Collaborative Education Excellence Fellowship – 2023

Grants & Collaborations: Steven has participated in consultancy projects such as the Innovation Voucher with Altomics Datamation Limited and maintains active collaborations across Europe and the UK. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Life and Medical Sciences Advisory Committee and serves on the editorial board of Frontiers in Synthetic Biology.

Labs & Teams: He is based at the Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, where he leads computational biology initiatives and contributes to large-scale systems medicine projects including disease map development and multimorbidity analysis.