Matthew Holden

Matthew Holden is a Professor at the School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, with an Adjunct Professor role at the University of Southern Denmark. He also serves as Head of Genomics for the Public Health Microbiology Group at Public Health Scotland, where he leads SARS-CoV-2 genomics integration into public health responses.

• Director of Impact, School of Medicine
• Biomedical Sciences Research Complex
• St Andrews Bioinformatics Unit

His research focuses on pathogenomics and antibiotic resistance, applying whole genome sequencing (WGS) to study bacterial evolution, outbreak tracing, and clinical diagnostics. He has led major consortia including SHAIPI (Scottish nosocomial infections), HATUA, and CARE (East African antimicrobial resistance studies).

Holden’s recent article trends emphasize genomics applications in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) during the COVID-19 pandemic, computational tools like Bayesian Networks for policy modeling, and translational microbiology in clinical settings. He has contributed to global AMR surveillance frameworks and bioinformatics pipelines.

His scientific awards include:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2022)

Holden’s grants span the Medical Research Council (MRC), Scottish Funding Council, and Wellcome Trust. He collaborates with NHS, Scottish Government, and East African institutions. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for health and welfare.