Sara Wells

Sara obtained a first-class BSc in Genetics from the University of Sheffield and completed her PhD at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research on neuroendocrine gene expression. In the early 2000s, she joined MRC Harwell as Head of Transgenics and Mutagenesis, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the establishment of the Mary Lyon Centre. She progressed to Scientific Manager, Head of Operations, and was appointed Director of the MLC in 2013. More recently, she took on a joint appointment as Chief Biological Resources Facility Officer at the Francis Crick Institute alongside her directorship of the MLC. She was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to medical research.

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell serves as a national hub for mouse genetics and preclinical disease models. Under Sara’s leadership, the Centre generates, characterises, and archives genetically modified mouse strains, providing cutting-edge infrastructure, transgenics, archive services, and specialist training through the MLC Advance Centre to researchers across the UK. Throughout her career, Sara has been a leading champion for high standards of research reproducibility, robust experimental design, and continuous advances in laboratory animal welfare.