Steven Watterson
Computational Cardiovascular Research @ Ulster University
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2750-6410
Steven Watterson
is a lecturer in Computational Biology at the Centre for Stratified Medicine, University of Ulster. He is based on the Altnagelvin Hospital Campus. He is a Member of Heart UK, the European Atherosclerosis Society, the Genetics Society and the Institute of Physics.
He has previously worked at The Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine and The Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, both at The University of Edinburgh after completing his PhD in The Department of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin.
Current Students
PhD
Christopher Page. Thesis title: Improving the screening and diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia. 
Matthew Ennis. Thesis title: Identifying biomarkers that may affect diabetes comorbidity. 
Thomas McLarnon. Thesis title: A Multi-Omics Analysis of Ageing Diseases to find Novel Sendo-type.
Paul Dillon. Thesis title: Stimuli-responsive DNA-based nanodevices for biomedical applications.
Ciara Costello. Thesis title: InflaMab: A novel antibody therapy for Cardiovascular related disease.
MSc
Former Students
PhD
Gerard Doherty. Thesis title: An analysis of gallbladder disease diagnosis classification and disease progression using novel approaches.
Dr Boon Chin Tan. Thesis title: In vitro investigation of how the endo-cannabinoid system modulates inflammation and pain pathways involved in arthritis.
Dr Andrew Parton, senior scientific programmer, European Bioinformatcs Institute. Thesis title: The dynamics of cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis across population subgroups.
Dr Muhamad Fairus Noor Hassim, Associate Fellow at Institute Marine Biotechnology Terengganu, Malaysia. Thesis title: Bimodal switch silences cytomegalovirus in macrophages through a Stat1 feed-forward repression mechanism.
MSc
Shane Connolly. Project title: Mortality trends across the UK and RoI.
Jessica Ingram. Dissertation title: Developing disease biosensors with synthetic biology.
Marc Biarnes. Thesis title: A multiplex proteomics approach for MACE prognosis.
Sinead Quinn. Thesis title: A new understanding of the role of Vitamin D in Cardiovascular health.
Gary Lonergan, team leader at Almac group. Thesis title: Computational Modelling of the Human Circadian Clock.
Dr Raymond Henderson, KTP Associate at Diaceutics PLC. Thesis title: Detection of Monogenic Disorders: Optimal Strategies from Computational Modelling.
Dr Mengyao Zhao, Computational Biologist, Foundation Medicine, Boston. Thesis title: The Integration of the Dynamic Pathway Information into the Medical Microbiology Database and the Improvement of the Boolean Network Modelling Method.
Chris Millward. Thesis: Binary modelling of immune signalling.
Sarah Dunn. Thesis title: The Topological Classification of Signalling Pathways
Summer placements
Project: Validation of tools for Improving the detection of patients at high risk of Major Adverse Cardiac Events.
- Evie Smyth.
- Sarah-Louise McDaid-McCloskey.
BSc
Ellen Mason. Trends in Causes of Death across Europe and the Island of Ireland.
Shane Doherty. Summary PMML: A New XML Format to Increase Machine Learning Reproducibility.
Group Project: Hugo, Deane, Meabh Bryson, Sean Doherty, Hannah McGuire.
Eve McCafferty. Thesis title: Identifying trends in cause of death data across Britain and Ireland.
Jane Donnelly. Thesis title: Developing biosensors in relation to cardiovascular disease using synthetic biology.
Dean Gordon. Thesis title: Developing biosensors in relation to cardiovascular disease using synthetic biology.
Group Project: Eve McCafferty, Christine Forde, Molly Maguire, Lauren McGrogan, Evie Smyth. Title: Mapping out the pathways associated with comorbidities of CVD.
Sun Il Yoon. Thesis title: Population mortality rate and causes across the UK: An alternative platform for mortality data extraction and analysis.
James Kerr. Dissertation title: Developing cardiovascular disease biosensors with synthetic biology.
Caitlin Strawbridge. Dissertation title: Developing cardiovascular disease biosensors with synthetic biology.
Thomas McLarnon. Dissertation title: Biomarker discovery using machine learning methods for COVID-19 patient outcome.
Group project: Thomas McLarnon, Paul Farrell, Alice Crown, Meagan McFeely, Euan Spratt. Title: Mapping out the pathways associated with comorbidities of CVD.
Jack Faulkner. Dissertation title: Towards a point-of care urine test for non-coding RNA biomarkers of prostate cancer.
Chun Sing Luke. Dissertation title: Towards a point-of care urine test for non-coding RNA biomarkers of prostate cancer.
Adam Quinn. Dissertation title: Towards a point-of care urine test for non-coding RNA biomarkers of prostate cancer.
Joshua Montgomery. Dissertation title: Towards a point-of care urine test for non-coding RNA biomarkers of prostate cancer.
Dylan Bowden. Dissertation title: How does the human body clock impact upon cholesterol metabolism?
Ajuma Salifu. Dissertation title: A multiplex proteomics approach for MACE prognosis.
Tara Warren. Dissertation title: Whole body modelling of Vitamin D metabolism.
Ciaran White. Dissertation title: How does the human body clock impact upon innate immunity?
Dean Boardman
Sean Colreavy
Seamus Cairns
Carla McKeown
Wellcome Trust Vacation Scholarships
Alisha Coll
Seamus Cairns
Carla McKeown
Nuffield & Sentinus Studentships
2022 - Molly Thompson, Joseph Quinn
2021 - Jack Addison, Jack Fernando, Daniel Jennings, Aimee Meighan, Paul Furey, Eimear Morrison, Cerys Thornton, Lara Whitten
2019 - Keeva Smith, Dearbhla Ní Choisneacháin
2018 - Oran Timoney. Oran wins the RCSA award at the BT Young Scientist exhibition in Dublin for his project, Categorising CVD patient risk using machine learning tools.
2017 - Patricia Navarro