University of Oxford
University websiteProf. Dr. Laura Parkkinen
Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
University of Oxford
John Radcliffe Hospital, West wing, Level 6
OX3 9DU, Oxford, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1865 231700
laura.parkkinen at ndcn.ox.ac.uk
ORCID: 0000-0002-3392-8564
Departmental website 1
Departmental website 2
Departmental website 3
Dr Laura Parkkinen is a Professor of Translational Neuropathology at the University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Director of the Oxford Brain Bank. She has 20 years of experience in neuropathological research and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. She has established an internationally recognized multidisciplinary research group to better understand the molecular mechanisms of these debilitating age-related disorders with a mission to generate novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Prof Parkkinen has worked in four different brain banks (Finland, Barcelona, University College London, Oxford) giving her solid understanding of many practical issues of brain banking varying from donation programs to methodology and diagnostics. She has led and been part of several initiatives to optimize and harmonize diagnostic practice regarding neurodegenerative diseases. This work has led to some important consensus papers that have changed the clinical practice. Her work continues to innovate with focus on pathological profiling of human protein aggregates, seed amplification assays, next-generation neuropathology (i.e. digital pathology and deep learning algorithms), and spatial transcriptomics.
Her research has been cited ~7,500 times, with an H index of 36. Prof Parkkinen has a wide international and national collaborative network and she has been an integral part of Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre. She is a line-manager for a team of ten people and has supervised 5 DPhil students and several MSc/BSc students. She champions EDI and has undergone Welcome-funded Inclusive Leadership Program. Throughout her academic career, she has contributed to public engagement events and enjoyed raising awareness by discussing her research with a host of beneficiaries.