Ian Donaldson
About Ian Donaldson
Ian Donaldson is an Associate Director of Bioinformatics with extensive experience in the field, including previous roles as Group Leader and Principal Bioinformatician. He has made significant contributions to cancer genome analysis and immuno-oncology through his work on databases and data analysis techniques.
Current Role at Adaptimmune
Ian Donaldson serves as the Associate Director of Bioinformatics at Adaptimmune since 2021. In this role, he leads teams focused on bioinformatics initiatives, emphasizing the provision of reliable and sustainable access to integrated data. His work involves ensuring traceable source and process provenance, which is critical for maintaining data integrity in bioinformatics research.
Previous Experience in Bioinformatics
Prior to his current position, Ian Donaldson held several significant roles in bioinformatics. He worked as a Group Leader in Bioinformatics from 2019 to 2021 and as a Principal Bioinformatician from 2017 to 2019, both in Oxford, United Kingdom. His earlier experience includes a position as a Group Leader in Bioinformatics at the University of Oslo from 2005 to 2013, where he contributed to various research projects over eight years.
Education and Expertise in Genetics
Ian Donaldson earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, specializing in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics. His academic background laid the foundation for his expertise in bioinformatics, particularly in areas such as single-cell RNA-Seq data analysis and interaction network biology, which are essential for advancing cancer research.
Contributions to Bioinformatics and Cancer Research
Ian Donaldson developed iRefIndex, a consolidated database of protein interactions and complexes. This resource is widely used in the analysis of cancer genomes and high-throughput sequencing data, highlighting his contributions to the field of computational biology. Additionally, he has a strong background in machine learning, data mining, data representation, and data integration, which supports his work in immuno-oncology.
Career Progression in Bioinformatics
Ian Donaldson's career in bioinformatics includes various roles that demonstrate his progression and expertise in the field. He worked as a Bioinformatician at Barts and the London Genome Centre from 2015 to 2016 and briefly as a Bioinformatician in Oxford in 2016. His diverse experiences across multiple institutions have equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of bioinformatics applications in genomics.