Winston Hide, PhD

Introducing Dr. Winston Hide, Ph.D., our distinguished Director of the Precision RNA Medicine Core at BIDMC.

Dr. Hide is a computational biologist whose work centers on identifying molecular processes that find our natural protective mechanisms against diseases. His group finds molecular pathways that protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. A co-founder, he leads the Precision RNA Medicine Core at BIDMC, integrating RNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and systems biology to support discovery and translational research.

Before joining BIDMC in 2018, Dr. Hide was Professor and Chair of Computational Biology at the University of Sheffield, where he directed programs in translational neuroscience and data-driven medicine. He previously served as Associate Professor of Bioinformatics at the Harvard School of Public Health and founded the South African National Bioinformatics Institute, which trained the first generation of bioinformaticists in Africa.

His lab collaborates widely across Harvard and with industry partners, developing frameworks to link biological pathways with disease processes. He has held post-doctoral positions at the University of Texas, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Smithsonian Institution, and has industry experience as Director of Genomics at MasPar Computer Corporation in Silicon Valley.

Dr. Hide’s contributions to bioinformatics and global capacity development have been recognized with major honors, including the Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship and the International Society for Computational Biology’s Award for Outstanding Achievement.