David Tollervey

David Tollervey is a Professor of RNA Biology and Wellcome Principal Research Fellow at the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh. He has held this position since 1997 and served as Director of the Centre from 2011 to 2021. His academic journey includes postdoctoral training at UC San Francisco and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Cambridge.

Research Interests: Tollervey specializes in RNA biology, focusing on RNA synthesis, degradation, and surveillance mechanisms. His work explores ribosome synthesis, non-coding RNAs in disease, and the interplay between RNA and protein synthesis. Key contributions include defining exosome function and RNA interactome mapping.

• Education:
  • BSc (Hons) in Microbiology, University of Edinburgh (1973–1977)
  • PhD in Genetics, University of Cambridge (1977–1980)

Awards & Honours:

• Fellow of the Royal Society (2004)
• President of the RNA Society (2007–2008)
• Biochemical Society Novartis Medal (2016)
• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2022)

Labs & Teams: Leads the RNA Biology group at the Wellcome Centre, focusing on mechanistic and functional studies of RNA processing. Collaborates extensively with global research networks.