Deputy Director
Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research
Professor of Cancer Genetics
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Nick Orr is a cancer geneticist at Queen’s University Belfast whose research explores how inherited genetic variation influences breast cancer risk in both women and men. By integrating large-scale genetic epidemiology with functional genomics and cell biology, his work has revealed gender-specific similarities and differences in the mechanisms by which genetic variants contribute to disease susceptibility.
He leads the Male Breast Cancer Genomics (MERGE) consortium — the largest study of its kind worldwide — analyzing DNA from over 5,000 men with breast cancer. By uncovering and characterizing new genetic risk factors, MERGE aims to transform understanding of male breast cancer biology and open pathways to improved prevention and treatment.
After earning a BSc in Molecular Biology (2000) and a PhD in Hematology and Genetics (2004) at Queen’s, Professor Orr undertook post-doctoral training at the US National Cancer Institute. He began his independent research career at the Institute of Cancer Research, London in 2008, before returning to Queen’s in 2017 to join the Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, where he continues to conduct research at the interface of genetics, epidemiology, and cancer biology.