Andrew Jackson is a Programme Leader at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh, a consultant clinical geneticist whose work has identified the molecular basis of a number of human genetic disorders. He has conducted pioneering work into the causes of primary microcephaly, a disorder of severely reduced brain size, and has made ground-breaking contributions to the understanding of primordial dwarfism. He has contributed to an improved biochemical and structural understanding of Ribonuclease H2, and established that this enzyme performs a critical genome surveillance function required for the removal of the most common base lesions in replicating cells. In total, he has identified 12 distinct disease-causing genes and has received many prestigious accolades in recognition of this work.