Matthew Holden

Matt Holden is Professor of Pathogen Genomics at the School of Medicine, University of St Andrews. Over the last two decades his work has focused on using whole genome sequencing as a research tool to investigate the evolution of pathogens and their ability to cause disease, and also as a clinical tool to identify outbreaks and trace the spread of infectious diseases. Since 2015, he has also worked as an honorary consultant with Public Health Scotland advising them on the implement whole genome sequencing into the Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratories. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been seconded into Public Health Scotland helping to build the Scottish NHS SARS-CoV-2 sequencing service and integrate the genome data generated into the public health response.