Professor Peter M Visscher

Now a leader in statistical genetics, Visscher was initially interested in agricultural pursuits. He earned a BSc in Animal Science at a Higher Agricultural College in the Netherlands, after which he worked for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. It was there that he became involved in genetics research and its applications, particularly statistical and computation tools based upon sound theory. “I realised that I wanted to learn why instead of how things were done,” he says.Visscher moved to Scotland to attend the University of Edinburgh, known for its long-standing excellence in quantitative genetics. He earned a masters degree in Animal Breeding (1988), followed by a PhD in Animal Genetics (1991).Visscher’s interest in examining genetic parameters in large dairy cattle pedigrees led to an opportunity work with Professor Mike Goddard, a renowned quantitative geneticist then at The Victorian Institute of Animal Science in Melbourne.  They searched for genetic determinants of heritable traits in Australian dairy cattle in order to develop novel genetic evaluation methods. The outcome of their work has since helped inform cattle breeding strategies in the Australian and overseas dairy industries.Visscher subsequently moved back to Edinburgh to work with Professor Chris Haley at the Roslin Institute to learn about gene mapping methods and molecular genetic analysis of complex traits.  In light of the increasingly large volumes of data relating to heritable genetic markers, analytical tools are needed to quantify and interpret this information in order to elucidate the underlying causes of trait variation. Visscher explains that one of the most important outcomes of his work with Haley was their integration of quantitative and molecular genetics to develop and apply much needed statistical analysis methods.Visscher was awarded a faculty position at the University of Edinburgh in 1995 where he extended his research focus to include genetic epidemiology and population based studies. His interests shifted from applications in livestock genetics to human genetics and he developed a new gene mapping approach that was used to validate a susceptibility locus for bipolar disorder.Then, in 2005, he accepted a post at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane in order to further his work on genome mapping, where he established a highly successful research group in statistical genetics.“Our studies have contributed to the acceptance that there are many genes involved in ‘complex diseases’,” he explains. Moreover, the novel bioinformatic algorithms developed in the course of this work are now in wide-spread use for gene mapping research.Professor Visscher now holds joint posts at the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute (UQDI) and the Queensland Brain Institute. He continues his research into how SNP accumulation contributes to the development of complex traits and diseases. To this end he is developing and optimising computational bioinformatics methods that will help explain individual differences in disease susceptibility.  “The question for the near future is how to draw the right inference from complete genome sequences of tens of thousands of people” says Visscher. If he is successful, he adds, “it will mean better predictive, preventive and diagnostic tools in a clinical setting, and being able to personalise medicine.”Visscher believes that the genetics and genomics resources available at UQDI, along with the expertise in auto-immune disease genetics, will be essential to meeting this challenge and translating his findings in complex diseases into clinical practice.  Moreover, he is driven by the pleasure of working with a fantastic team of researchers and seeing their group efforts recognised by the wider scientific community.  Ultimately, he explains,  “My reward is the satisfaction of better understanding nature and the confidence that basic research can ultimately lead to real improvements in people’s lives.”