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Professor James Edwards

Ordinary Fellow

Associate Professor

Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science

DPhil Oxf, BSc UWE

James Edwards leads the Oxford Ageing and Regeneration group studying both the causes and consequences of Ageing, to improve healthspan across cultures, sexes and socioeconomic backgrounds. This includes researching the cellular recycling process of autophagy, the sirtuin family of epigenetic regulators, how the accumulation of senescent cells with increasing age impairs tissue function and links many hallmarks of ageing biology, and how targeting ageing mechanisms with naturally occurring products and dietary interventions can preserve tissue integrity. Recent work has developed an AI approach to select drug candidates for a repurposing screening platform targeting known and novel ageing mechanisms, and off-target impact upon age-related disorders.

James completed a D.Phil (Wadham College, Oxford) studying the role of TNF and BMP families in normal and pathological bone, before working at University of Texas at San Antonio and Vanderbilt University (Nashville) in the US, researching cancer-bone metastases, fracture healing and longevity mediators in skeletal biology.

At Oxford, James has worked to recognise the need for improved access for all students to higher education, with equitable approaches to support diversity in academia. This includes leading the UNIQ+ program within the Medical Sciences Division (MSD) since its conception in 2019 (supporting undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake Oxford research placements). He is the chair of NDORMS (Botnar) Graduate Studies Committee, vice-chair of MSD Graduate School Committee, and has established international student intern and research programs, including with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine and with the Korean Institute of Science of Technology (KIST), developing novel biomaterials for improved tissue repair.

As an Ashmolean Fellow, James has explored the skeletal system beyond biology, charting the significance of ‘Bone’ in different cultures and the stories skeletal remains continue to tell us about humanity’s past.