Edward C. Holmes


Edward Charles Holmes is an evolutionary biologist and virologist, and since 2012 a National Health and Medical Research Council Australia Fellow and professor at the University of Sydney. He is also an Honorary Visiting Professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, China as well as Guest Professor at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

Education

Holmes was educated at University College London where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology in 1986. He then moved to the University of Cambridge where he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Zoology in 1990 for research on molecular evolution in primates supervised by.

Research and career

Holmes has used genomic and phylogenetic approaches to reveal the major mechanisms of virus evolution and determined the genetic and epidemiological processes that explain how viruses jump species boundaries and spread in new hosts. His work has revealed the origin, evolution and molecular epidemiology of important human pathogens including Hepatitis C, influenza, HIV and dengue, and enabled more accurate assessments of what types of virus are most likely to emerge in human populations and whether they will evolve human-to-human transmission. His recent research has provided fundamental insights into the breadth and biodiversity of the viral world.
Holmes wrote The Evolution and Emergence of RNA Viruses part of the Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution edited by Paul H. Harvey and Robert M. May. He also co-authored the textbook Molecular Evolution: A Phylogenetic Approach with Rod Page. Since 1994 he has supervised 26 doctoral students including Thomas Gilbert, Christopher Woelk, Polly Walker, Charles Edwards, Sally Twiddy, Patricia Davis, Michael Worobey,
Gareth Jenkins, María Álvarez, Andrew Jackson, and Angela Brueggemann.
His research has been funded by the Royal Society, the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Rhodes Trust, Wellcome Trust, United States National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Australian Research Council, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Special National Project on investigation of basic resources of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Before moving to Sydney in 2012, Holmes held academic appointments at various universities in the UK and USA including:

SARS-CoV-2

As a leading virologist, Holmes helped map the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 and has figured prominently in commentary surrounding its origins. In March 2020, he co-authored a paper titled The proximal origins of SARS-CoV-2, which was published in Nature Medicine. Mainstream media outlets reported that the paper debunked speculation the virus may have leaked from a research facility. In an interview with the Financial Times, Holmes said "there was “no evidence” that Sars-Cov-2... originated in a Wuhan laboratory."

Awards and honours

Holmes was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2015 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2017. In 2017 he was awarded an Australian Laureate Fellowship. He was awarded the Scientific Medal, Zoological Society of London in 2003.

Personal life

Holmes lists his recreations as Whale Beach, New South Wales, electric guitars and Aston Villa Football Club.