London Genetics Network Annual Meeting 2026 – Vanishing boundaries between rare and common genetic variation.
Dear all,
We are delighted to welcome you to the London Genetics Network Annual Meeting 2026, taking place on Thursday, 8 January 2026.
Start the new year as you mean to go on – with excellent research in human genetics and an afternoon of scientific exchange, discussion, and networking.
About this event
This year’s theme is “Vanishing boundaries between rare and common genetic variation.”
As sequencing costs have fallen, investigation of the rare-variant genetic architecture (MAF < 0.01) of complex traits has become increasingly feasible. Strikingly, many recent studies demonstrate convergence between rare- and common-variant signals, highlighting the diminishing boundaries between these approaches.
We are excited to host speakers whose work spans both rare and common variant genetics, from methodological development through to clinical and population-scale applications.
The meeting will conclude with a drinks reception, with plenty of soft drink options available for those taking part in Dry January.
London Genetics Network Annual Meeting 2026
Theme: Vanishing Boundaries between Rare and Common Genetic Variation
Programme Schedule
| Time | Speakers | Agenda |
|---|---|---|
| 12:40 – 13:00 | N/A | Arrival & Registration |
| Session 1 | ||
| 13:00 – 13:30 | Professor Sanjay Sisodiya University College London |
Keynote: Genomic complexity in a monogenic epilepsy |
| 13:30 – 13:50 | Dr Vangelis Vassos King’s College London |
The path to clinical implementation of polygenic scores in psychiatry is very slow. But are we asking the right questions? |
| 13:50 – 14:10 | Professor Angelica Ronald University of Surrey |
Latest developments in infant genetics: A genome-wide association study of age at onset of walking |
| 14:10 – 14:50 | N/A | Coffee break |
| ECR Talks – Rising Stars | ||
| 14:50 – 15:10 | Dr Eyad Elbahtety London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
Rare variants methods in GWAS: The how and why? |
| 15:10 – 15:30 | Oyesola Ojewunmi Queen Mary University of London |
Genetic drivers of foetal haemoglobin persistence in sickle cell disease |
| ECR Flash Talks | ||
| 15:30 – 15:34 | Hannah Li University of Cambridge |
An exome-wide association study identifies protein-coding variants associated with carotid intima-media thickness in the UK Biobank |
| 15:34 – 15:38 | Hannah Chaudhry-Phipps University College London |
Using Mendelian randomisation to explore rapamycin, mTOR expression and ageing |
| 15:38 – 15:42 | Nisa Rizki Rainy Birkbeck, University of London |
In the genetics of the beholder: gene–environment interplay for internalising and externalising behaviours using polygenic scores and adolescent perceptions of parenting |
| 15:42 – 15:46 | Miriam Samuel Queen Mary University of London |
Clinical implications of a South Asian-specific genetic variant in the PIEZO1 gene that causes a non-glycaemic reduction in HbA1c |
| 15:46 – 15:50 | Georgios Kalantzis Wellcome Sanger Institute |
Recessive meta-analysis across six biobanks and one million samples identifies well-established genes and novel recessive associations |
| 15:50 – 16:00 | N/A | Comfort break |
| Session 2 | ||
| 16:00 – 16:25 | Dr Gareth Hawkes University of Exeter |
Discovery and architecture of rare non-coding regulatory effects using population-scale whole-genome sequencing |
| 16:25 – 16:50 | Dr Jennifer Asimit University of Cambridge |
Leveraging phenotypic similarity and ancestry diversity in cardiometabolic genetics |
| 16:50 – 17:00 | Professor Angelica Ronald University of Surrey |
Wrap-up and background to the London Genetics Network |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | N/A | Drinks, nibbles and networking |
Speaker bios
Professor Sanjay Sisodiya
University College London
Sanjay Sisodiya is Professor of Neurology at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Transformation Director at the Epilepsy Society. His main research interests are complex epilepsies and the impacts of climate change on neurological disorders. Genomic science has proven highly informative for the former and provides a bridge to understanding the latter.
Dr Evangelos (Vangelis) Vassos
King’s College London
Evangelos Vassos is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Senior Clinical Research Fellow. He holds medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Athens and completed his psychiatry training in Oxford. His research investigates the genetic and environmental underpinnings of psychosis and mood disorders, with a current focus on developing and validating risk-estimation models for psychosis. His expertise spans genome-wide association studies, polygenic score analysis, genetic epidemiology, and novel meta-analysis methodologies.
Professor Angelica Ronald
University of Surrey
Angelica Ronald is Professor of Psychology and Genetics in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey. She established the Genetics of Early Milestones and Skills (GEMS) project, a multidisciplinary collaboration investigating the shared genetic architecture of infant and toddler behaviour. Her current roles include serving on the Behaviour Genetics Association Executive Board, acting as Joint Editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and co-leading the London Genetics Network.
Dr Eyad Elbahtety
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine / University College London
Eyad Elbahtety is a clinical dentist and PhD candidate at LSHTM and UCL, supported by a UCL LIDo BBSRC scholarship. He completed his MSc in Regenerative Dentistry at King’s College London and his BDS at the British University in Egypt. His research focuses on population genetics of complex diseases and tissue regeneration, with current work investigating the genetic architecture of blood cell traits in African populations and their links to sickle cell disease using both common and rare variants from short- and long-read whole-genome sequencing.
Dr Oyesola Ojewunmi
Queen Mary University of London
Oyesola Ojewunmi is a Senior Research Fellow in Genomics at the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI), Queen Mary University of London. His research applies advanced statistical methods to address genetic heterogeneity in genome-wide association meta-analyses across diverse populations, with a particular focus on African ancestry. His work on sickle cell disease examines genotype–phenotype relationships to identify clinically relevant biomarkers and biological pathways. He is a recipient of the Human Genomics Scholar Award from the American Society of Human Genetics.
Dr Gareth Hawkes
University of Exeter
Gareth Hawkes is an MRC Career Development Fellow and Lecturer in Health Data Science at the University of Exeter. His research develops and applies methods to understand the interplay between rare coding and regulatory variants and their population-level effects on complex traits, particularly metabolic, obesity-related, and anthropometric traits. He trained originally in theoretical physics and solar physics before transitioning into complex trait genetics.
Dr Jennifer Asimit
University of Cambridge
Jennifer Asimit has over 15 years of experience in statistical genetics, developing methods to advance understanding of cardiometabolic diseases and their co-morbidities. At the MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, she leads a research group focused on joint analysis of multiple outcomes across diverse ancestries, collaborating internationally across cardiometabolic, psychiatric, and other complex diseases. Her work promotes open science through user-friendly software and interactive visualisation tools, maximising accessibility and impact.
Organising committee
Professor Angelica Ronald – University of Surrey
Professor Karoline Kuchenbaecker – University College London
Kaito Kawakami – King’s College London
Dr Eyad Elbahtety – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Dr Georgina Navoly – University College London
Sponsor
London Genetics Network is a Special Interest Group funded by The Genetics Society.
