Mather spearheads new growth era for Wellcome Genome Campus

The appointment signals an exciting new era for the Campus which is already home to a growing community of world-leading institutes, organisations and experts. In April, the Government announced up to £600 million investment into a new Health Data Research Service (HRDS) to be located at the Campus.

Dr Mather is now set to establish the new Group and work with Campus leaders to steer its scientific strategy, drawing on her extensive experience across industry, research, government and technology. This will support the continued growth of the Campus, centred on genomics, biodata, health data, translation and data science as technology, data and AI are revolutionising life sciences, presenting new ways to tackle some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

Dr Mather is Life Sciences Lead at IBM Consulting across the UK, Ireland and EMEA, where she helps life sciences and health research organisations harness data, AI, and digital innovation to deliver transformation. As the founding Director for the UK Government’s Office for Life Sciences, Dr Mather played a central role in shaping the sector-led Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and was responsible for attracting major investment into UK genomics and health data. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult and holds a DPhil in Neuroscience from the University of Oxford.

Her appointment comes as the Campus is about to start construction of Phase 1 of its ambitious expansion plans, which include 1.6 million square feet for cutting-edge R & D, laboratory and commercial spaces, as well as 1,500 new homes for Campus workers and their families. Over the coming years, the Campus will grow from 125 to 440 acres and welcome thousands of new science, research and technology workers.

Dr Mather said: “The Wellcome Genome Campus is uniquely placed to connect world-class science, data and innovation at scale. With the expansion underway, it’s an exciting time to establish the Science Advisory Group and shape a strategy that allows the Campus to optimise its scientific, technology and translational opportunities and global impact.”

Robert Evans, CEO at the Wellcome Genome Campus Limited added: ‘We are delighted to welcome Nicole as Chair of our Science Strategy Group. She brings a rare combination of experience across science, policy and industry. Her expertise will be pivotal as we grow our community and ecosystem and strengthen the role of the Campus, at the interface of translational science and technology.”

The expansion of the Campus builds on the international standing and achievements of Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL-EBI and the new opportunities presented by the planned Health Data Research Service (HDRS). Expansion will provide new facilities that will enhance the current offer and deliver opportunities for new activities, research and commercial endeavours.

The expanded Campus will include new community uses and social infrastructure including a nursery, conferencing, hotel, retail and leisure, food and drink, new landscaping and public realm, biodiversity enhancements, an energy farm, microgrid and ambient loop energy systems.

More than 3,000 brilliant minds already work on Campus across genomics, biodata, health data and data science, harnessing machine learning and AI to discover new science and accelerate its translation into real world solutions to improve lives for everyone.

Backed by the Wellcome Trust, the Campus is world-recognised and supported by one of the largest contemporary investments in the UK’s life sciences infrastructure. Wellcome’s Sanger Institute was a close runner-up in the Cambridge Torchbearer category of the recent Business Weekly Awards – a category designed to honour world-class Science & Technology influencers.