Professor Gil McVean has been elected as Fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor McVean is one of seven Oxford academics to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society this year.
Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said: 'Science is a way of understanding both the world around us and ourselves. It is one of the great triumphs of human achievement and has contributed hugely to our prosperity and health. Science will continue to play a crucial role as we tackle some of the great challenges of our time including food, energy, health and the environment. The scientists elected to the Fellowship are leaders who have advanced their fields through their ground breaking work. We are delighted to welcome them to the Royal Society.'
Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: 'Election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society is an honour awarded to the very best scientists in the country. To have seven Fellows elected from Oxford this year is a towering achievement and testament to the depth and range of the university's scientific and medical research. I know I speak for our entire community when I congratulate each of the new Fellows and take pride in this well deserved recognition.'
The Fellowship of the Royal Society is made up of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from or living and working in the UK and the Commonwealth. Past Fellows and Foreign Members have included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Professor McVean has also been elected as Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. The honour recognises outstanding contribution to the advancement of medical science, innovative application of scientific knowledge, or conspicuous service to healthcare.
Professor Sir Robert Lechler PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said: 'These new Fellows represent the amazing diversity of talent and expertise among the UK medical research community. Through their election to the Fellowship, we recognise the outstanding contributions these individuals have made to the progress of medical science and the development of better healthcare.
'We work with our Fellowship to create the essential connections between academia, industry and the NHS and beyond, to strengthen biomedical research and facilitate its translation into benefits for society.'
Professor Gil McVean is Professor of Statistical Genetics and Director of the Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery at the University of Oxford. Gil McVean is distinguished for research into the nature and causes of molecular genetic variation. He developed a sophisticated, and now widely-used, statistical method for estimating fine-scale recombination rates from data documenting genetic variation. McVean produced the first fine-scale genetic maps of the human genome, and with collaborators identified a DNA sequence motif associated with hotspots (the first in any species) and the gene binding the motif. He has made substantial contributions to coalescent theory, and to our understanding of mutation and natural selection, and played a central role in the HapMap and 1,000 Genomes projects.