Dagan Wells, Ph.D.

Prof. Wells’ research continues to focus on genetic factors relevant to gametogenesis and early embryo development and has a strong translational emphasis. His work has encompassed analysis of sperm, oocytes and embryos at various stages of development and has examined aspects of biology including telomeres, mitochondria, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenetics and DNA sequence variation. Prof. Wells’ research has led to the publication of almost 200 peer-review papers and, in the last decade, has been shortlisted for eighteen major conference prizes (ASRM and ESHRE), winning nine of them. His work has received extensive funding from multiple public and private sources, including the National Institutes of Health (USA), the Medical Research Council (UK) and the National Institute for Health Research (UK).

Prof. Wells has had leadership roles within multiple professional societies, serving on the Executive Boards of organizations such as the PGD-International Society and the PGD Special Interest Group of the ASRM. He has also taken a key role in attempts to improve the quality of PGD laboratories internationally through the introduction of independent Quality Assessment schemes. Prof. Wells has been a member of the Editorial Boards of most of the main journals in the field of Reproductive Medicine and regularly reviews for a wide variety of journals and research funding agencies in the fields of medicine, reproductive biology and genetics. Prof. Wells’ contribution has been recognized with his election to Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists, the Royal Society of Biology and the Institute of Biomedical Science.

Prof. Wells has always had a passion for teaching and has successfully guided many PhD and MSc students through their studies. His lectures are known for their clarity and his ability to convey complex genetic concepts in terms that can be readily understood by his audience. As a result, he is one of the most frequently invited speakers at international conferences. Prof. Wells’ commitment to education has extended to involvement as a co-organizer or Advisory Board member of numerous conferences and workshops. He has also assisted with the dissemination of research findings and increasing the public understanding of scientific discoveries through his frequent interactions with the media.