About Us
The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (MRC WIMM) at the University of Oxford was founded in 1989 by Sir David Weatherall to foster research in molecular and cell biology, with the aim of improving human health. Through our excellent basic and applied research we have become leaders in translational medicine. Our research has resulted in improved understanding, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of human diseases.
The Institute hosts staff and students from seven different departments within the Medical Sciences Division. We bring together over 500 researchers, staff and students with a passion for translational science and who share an interest in our five core research areas: rare diseases, haematology, immunology and infection, stem cells and developmental biology and cancer biology.
We host two MRC Units (MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit and MRC Molecular Haematology Unit), as well as the MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology.
Our interaction with clinical departments at the Oxford University Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust is a vital aspect of our work. A third of our faculty are clinically qualified and many are practicing clinicians. Half our groups have productive collaborations with biotech and pharma and we collaborate extensively with researchers and clinicians across the UK and further afield. Our international collaborations in the US, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and East and West Africa form a major aspect of our clinical programmes directed towards progress in global health.
Crucial to our core mission is the need to support our researchers and foster a supportive and collaborative culture. We are committed to training both non-clinical and clinical junior scientists and provide a culture of fairness and equal opportunities for career progression for all staff, at all stages of their careers.
We also centrally provide excellent, state-of-the-art core facilities to support our researchers and work with them to develop and apply new technologies to current scientific and clinical problems.
The MRC WIMM is a strategic partnership between the Medical Research Council and the University of Oxford.