Dr William Hamilton

Senior Staff Scientist

Infectious diseases doctor and researcher. Interested in using genomics to explore pathogen evolution and control globally significant infectious microbes. 

I am a medical doctor and researcher specialising in infectious diseases and microbiology. My research uses genome sequencing to investigate the evolution, transmission, and host interactions of infectious microbes, with a focus on the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. I am interested in the development of novel molecular assays and translational applications of genomics to the control of globally significant infectious diseases.

I divide my time between clinical duties and research. I am an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Medical Microbiology at Cambridge University, a Senior Staff Scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and an Honorary Specialist Registrar in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. My research is highly collaborative, and I work closely with colleagues based in the UK, France, Ghana, The Gambia, and Thailand.

My timeline

• Became an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Medical Microbiology, Cambridge University

• Started position as a Senior Staff Scientist at Wellcome Sanger Institute, working on malaria genomic epidemiology, alongside clinical work

• Began specialist training in infectious diseases and medical microbiology, East of England

• Junior doctor working in Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

• Completed PhD in malaria genomics with Prof Dominic Kwiatkowski at the Wellcome Sanger Institute (integrated MB/PhD Programme)

• Completed undergraduate medicine, Cambridge University

• Started medical training at Cambridge University