Papin Prize for Head of Bioinformatics, Simon Andrews

Key points:

• Dr Simon Andrews, Head of the Institute’s Bioinformatics facility has received a Papin Prize for his significant contribution to research.
• Papin Prizes recognise excellence achieved by technical professionals working in the academic sector.
• Simon was nominated by Institute colleagues in recognition of his longstanding and impactful contributions to the development of widely adopted bioinformatics tools, research support and training provision.
• The Prizes were awarded at the Higher Education Technicians Summit (HETS) on Wednesday 9^th July.

Dr Simon Andrews, Head of the Institute’s Bioinformatics facility, has been awarded a Papin Prize for contributions to research. The prize was announced at the Higher Education Technicians Summit (HETS) on Wednesday 9th July.

Reflecting on the award, Simon said: “I’m very pleased, and surprised, to be awarded a Papin Prize. Involvement in the research projects at the Institute has always been one of the main attractions of my role. Working in a core facility has allowed me to see a diverse range of data and biological systems and build infrastructure and tools which can be used by many scientists both within and outside the Institute.”

Simon joined the Institute in 2001 and has led the Institute’s Bioinformatics facility since 2010. Since that time, the team have developed a reputation for providing practical and innovative solutions to the challenges that arise from the new data types and high data volumes that have characterised bioscience research in recent years. The team share this insight internationally though bioinformatics training provision.

Simon’s contributions to research projects across the breadth of science at the Institute is demonstrated by authorship on more than 110 publications (since 2005) where he has made key inputs to data analysis. These span reports on bioinformatics developments, such as on the Bismark programme Simon co-developed with colleague Felix Kruger, now widely adopted as a default tool by the epigenomics community, and key contributions to research papers, for example, multi-omic analysis exploring the roles and specifiers of DNA methylation in placental development (PMID: 36690623); in-depth single-cell transcriptomics analysis to understand the processes of amnion formation in primate embryos (PMID: 35439430); and the first description of the dynamics of genomic DNA demethylation in germ cell specification (PMID: 23219530)

Dr Simon Cook, Institute Director, said: “I’m so pleased to see Simon’s longstanding and fundamental contributions to research recognised with a Papin Prize. His impact at the Institute is remarkable and the tools he and his team have created have global impact through facilitating the analysis of large datasets. The development of these tools, hand in hand with bespoke training provision means that Simon and his work has far-reaching effects with benefits for robust data analysis and interpretation. He’s a master of his craft and a lovely colleague!”

Beyond his leadership of bioinformatics provision at the Institute, Simon also makes important contributions to key strategic initiatives such as research integrity and data management, and procurement and management of high-level scientific resources and infrastructure, such as the compute cluster.

Dr Gavin Kelsey, Head of the Institute’s Epigenetics research programme, highlighted Simon’s role in creating accessible bioinformatics tools that empower researchers: “Simon has had a major impact on how the Institute is able to deliver its science, notably through the development of accessible platforms for analysis of next-generation sequencing data, typified by the Seqmonk application. These programmes, together with the highly responsive training he and his team deliver, have enabled multiple PhD students and postdocs at the Institute to become self-reliant in the analysis and presentation of their research data. These applications have de-mystified bioinformatics for many, enabled users to take ownership of their data analysis and successfully bridge the divide between ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ science.” 

To see all winners across the Papin Prize categories, see the announcement by the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy.  

Notes

Communications team contact: Dr Louisa Wood, Head of Communications, louisa.wood@babraham.ac.uk

Main image description: Dr Simon Andrews, Head of Bioinformatics at the Babraham Institute and 2025 Papin Prize winner for contributions to research. Image courtesy of The UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy. Photography by Alex Wilkinson Media.