Amy Jayne McKnight

Dr Amy Jayne McKnight is a Professor at Queen's University Belfast, affiliated with the Centre for Public Health within the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences. She leads the NI Genomic Medicine Centre's rare disease research and co-leads the LifeArc Centre for the Acceleration of Rare Disease Trials. Her work focuses on molecular epidemiology, kidney disease, and improving diagnostics for rare conditions through multi-omic approaches.

• PhD Supervisor: Open to candidates with basic science, social science, or clinical backgrounds
• Teaching: Developed modules in public health genetics, medical statistics, and genomics across undergraduate and postgraduate programs

Research Interests: Combining molecular data (genetics, epigenetics, transcriptomics) with clinical data to understand disease mechanisms in kidney disorders, aging populations, and rare diseases. Key projects include NICOLA bioresource for older adults and the NI rare disease action plan implementation.

Awards: Includes the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2019), The AEG Raine Award (2012), and recognition as an Expert in Diabetic Nephropathy (2018). Over 26 prizes highlight her contributions to genomics and healthcare.

• Grants & Projects: 18 active projects including £multi-million initiatives on epigenomics, rare disease registries, and kidney transplant outcomes
• Labs/Teams: NICOLA bioresource, LifeArc Centre, NI Genomic Medicine Centre