معرفی
Dr. Mara Lawniczak is a Senior Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, where she leads the Lawniczak Group focused on evolutionary genetics with applications to malaria control and biodiversity research. She also maintains an honorary faculty position at Imperial College London, where she was awarded a proleptic lectureship. Her work bridges fundamental evolutionary biology with practical applications for global health challenges.
Dr. Lawniczak completed her PhD in Population Biology at UCDavis studying sexual conflict dynamics in Drosophila, followed by postdoctoral research at University College London on seminal fluid proteins and at Imperial College London on Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2012, she received an MRC Career Development Fellowship, and in 2014 she joined the Sanger Institute to establish her research group.
Her research spans three interconnected themes: Mosquito Vector Population Genomics, Transmission Biology of Plasmodium falciparum, and Biodiversity Genomics. She has pioneered the Malaria Cell Atlas project using single-cell transcriptomics to map Plasmodium development, established the Anopheles funestus population genomics project, and contributes significantly to the Darwin Tree of Life Project. Her work leverages cutting-edge genomic technologies from whole genome sequencing to single-cell RNA-seq.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on vector biology, malaria parasite genomics, and biodiversity monitoring. Her team produces high-quality reference genomes for vector species while simultaneously investigating transmission dynamics at single-cell resolution. A significant portion of her work addresses practical applications for malaria control through understanding insecticide resistance mechanisms and vector behavior.
- MRC Career Development Fellowship
- Featured as a 'hero in the field' by Bill Gates (2023)
- Associate editor position at GENETICS journal
- Leadership roles in major international consortia including the Earth BioGenome Project
Dr. Lawniczak currently mentors a diverse team including PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and technical specialists. Her research is supported by multiple major grants from MRC, Wellcome, UKRI, Horizon Europe, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Lawniczak Group operates several key projects including the Malaria Cell Atlas, the Anopheles funestus population genomics project, the Anopheles Reference Genomes project, the ANOSPP project, and BIOSCAN UK. These initiatives involve extensive international collaborations, particularly with researchers across Africa where malaria remains endemic.
