Naomi Wray, Professorial Research Fellow at the Big Data Institute and the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, is one of 54 biomedical and health scientists who have been elected to the prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship this year.
Fellowship of the Academy is based on exceptional contributions to the medical sciences. Out of the 54 new fellows announced today, five are from the University of Oxford.
Professor Naomi Wray has been elected a 2025 fellow for her internationally recognised research that has advanced our understanding of the polygenic contribution to complex disease, particularly psychiatric disorders. She was the first to introduce methods to estimate genetic correlation between diseases using Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) data which was a major step in genetic epidemiology and has led many studies for the international psychiatric genomics consortium.
Launched in June 2024 and funded for 13 years, Professor Wray leads the Pioneer Centre for SMARTbiomed, a Denmark-Oxford collaboration that promotes research in statistical and computational methods for applications in common complex disease.
Professor Wray said ‘Psychiatry disorders are the most enigmatic in medicine and so I am passionate about using the skill set of statistical analysis of big genomic data to gain insight into causes of these disorders with the long-term goal of improved prevention, diagnosis and treatments. I am delighted to be elected as a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences which acknowledges the work of my teams at the University of Oxford and University of Queensland, Australia. I worked part-time for many years and so hope to be a role model for other women in science.’
Professor Wray is a valued mentor for students and postdoctoral mentees that have gone on to win their own awards and advanced in their research careers to leadership roles.
Professor Andrew Morris CBE FRSE PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said ‘It is a privilege to welcome these 54 exceptional scientists to our Fellowship. Each new fellow brings unique expertise and perspective to addressing the most significant health challenges facing society.
The breadth of disciplines represented in this year’s cohort – from mental health and infectious disease to cancer biology and respiratory medicine – reflects the rich diversity of medical science today. Their election comes at a crucial time when scientific excellence and collaboration across disciplines are essential for addressing global health challenges both now and in the future. We look forward to working with them to advance biomedical research and create an environment where the best science can flourish for the benefit of people everywhere.’
The new fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy of Medical Sciences at a ceremony in July 2025.