Andy Sims graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc.(Hon) in Biological Sciences and began work at the British Antarctic Survey laboratories in Cambridge, characterizing the biodiversity of soil samples. He then worked as a Clinical Scientist at the Public Health Laboratories at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, developing real-time quantitative methods for routine molecular diagnostic analysis.

In September 2001, Andy moved to Manchester to study for a PhD in Aspergillus genomics in the laboratories of Prof. Steve Oliver. During this period, whole-genome sequencing of several species of filamentous fungi were completed, coinciding with Andy’s first gene expression profiling experiments and comparative genomics for these organisms. He also spent six months at a US biotech company in California (Genencor), where he worked on the annotation of the privately-funded Aspergillus niger whole-genome sequence.

Dr Sims continued his focus on gene expression profiling whilst developing his interest in Breast Cancer during subsequent postdoctoral research with Prof. Tony Howell at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research at the Christie Hospital in Manchester. He conducted a range of translational gene expression profiling projects looking at how the known risk factors and preventative interventions for breast cancer actually impart their effects on patients.

In June 2008, Andy joined the Edinburgh Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit based at the Western General Hospital, to provide bioinformatics input to the ongoing collaborative multidisciplinary projects within the Unit and build his own research group.