Professor Paolo Vineis stands as a preeminent figure in environmental epidemiology with over two decades of distinguished academic leadership. He currently serves as Chair of Environmental Epidemiology at Imperial College London, a position he has held since 2004, and maintains dual academic appointments across continents. Born on October 10, 1951, in Alba, Italy, Professor Vineis has established himself as a globally recognized authority in molecular epidemiology and non-communicable diseases. His career trajectory includes significant leadership roles at major research institutions, including his directorship of the Unit of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology at the Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine in Turin. This transnational academic presence has enabled him to bridge European research initiatives while shaping environmental health policy at the highest levels.
Professor Vineis pioneered the transformative concept of the exposome, developing this comprehensive framework alongside Chris Wild of IARC and Stephen Rappaport and Martyn Smith of UC Berkeley to capture the totality of environmental exposures throughout the human lifespan. His groundbreaking work coordinating the European Commission's FP7-funded Exposomics project in 2012 established methodological foundations for integrating omics technologies into large-scale epidemiological studies. Vineis has significantly advanced the application of metabolomics and epigenetics to identify molecular signatures of environmental exposures, particularly in air pollution research. His Horizon 2020-funded LIFEPATH project has generated crucial insights into socioeconomic determinants of aging pathways through innovative integration of social science and biological approaches. Ranked among the top 10 most cited researchers at Imperial College London, his scientific contributions have fundamentally reshaped how environmental health risks are assessed and understood globally.
As Programme Lead for Molecular Signatures and Disease Pathways within Imperial's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Professor Vineis continues to direct cutting-edge research at the MRC Centre for Environment and Health. His leadership extends to international governance as vice-chair of the Ethics Committee at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, where he helps shape global cancer research priorities and ethical standards. Recognized with prestigious appointments including his fellowship in Italy's National Academy of Sciences (Lincei), Vineis maintains active roles in multiple high-impact consortia addressing climate change and air pollution health effects. His current research agenda focuses on developing sophisticated analytical frameworks that connect environmental exposures with molecular pathways to disease, with particular emphasis on health equity implications across diverse populations. Through mentoring numerous early-career scientists and leading major collaborative initiatives, Professor Vineis ensures his innovative approaches to environmental health research will continue influencing public health practice for generations to come.
