Rate My Professor Scott Wilson

Professor Scott Wilson is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences, Pathology and Laboratory Science at the University of Western Australia, a position he has held since 2007. He obtained his PhD in Medicine and Pharmacology from the University of Western Australia between 1989 and 1994, followed by training in genetic analysis at the Garvan Institute. With more than 20 years of experience in clinical and basic scientific research in endocrinology and genetics, Wilson began his career as a Research Officer at the University of Western Australia before moving to the UK, where he served as Senior Research Fellow at Gemini Genomics PLC and Head of Clinical Division at Sequenom-Gemini Ltd in Cambridge. These roles involved pioneering multi-centre international collaborative studies, whole-genome screens, positional cloning of complex disease genes, and early industrialization of GeneChip protocols for genome-wide association studies. Returning to Australia in 2002, he became Principal Investigator and Head of the Molecular Endocrine Genetics Laboratory at the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, advancing to Principal Investigator and Senior Medical Scientist in Charge (Head of Laboratory) in 2017. Since 2018, he has also been Senior Lecturer (Visiting) at King’s College London.

Wilson's research elucidates the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms driving complex diseases, including osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid function and disease, and autism spectrum disorder. His approaches encompass genome-wide association studies, whole-genome sequencing, epigenomics, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, massively parallel reporter assays, and functional genomics in osteoclasts and osteoblasts. He contributes to international consortia such as UK10K, GEFOS, International PCOS Consortium, and International ThyroidOmics Consortium. Key publications include 'Whole-genome Sequencing Identifies EN1 as a Determinant of Bone Density and Fracture' (Nature, 2015), 'The UK10K Project Identifies Rare Variants in Health and Disease' (Nature, 2015), 'Characterisation of Genetic Regulatory Effects for Osteoporosis Risk Variants in Human Osteoclasts' (Genome Biology, 2020), and 'Genome topology analysis and transcriptomics of human osteoclasts reveals enhancer-promoter interactions at loci for bone traits and diseases' (JBMR Plus, 2025). He has filed eight national and international patents and secured NHMRC funding for osteoporosis genomics projects, as well as MHRIF grants. Wilson's contributions enhance understanding of endocrine disorders and support development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools.