Dr Ludmil B. Alexandrov

Ludmil Alexandrov is a Professor at the University of California, San Diego, where he holds appointments in Bioengineering and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and serves as Deputy Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Fitness and Space Medicine Center. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental processes that drive cancer initiation and progression by integrating large-scale genomics, experimental biology, and artificial intelligence.  

Alexandrov’s work centres on mutational signatures—patterns of DNA mutations that reveal the biological and environmental processes shaping cancer genomes—and has provided insight into the roles of aging, environmental exposures, microbial factors, and DNA repair defects in cancer development. A central goal of his research is to move beyond describing mutations to understanding why they arise and how this knowledge can be used to prevent cancer.  

Through CAUSE, his team aims to uncover the DNA damage and repair processes underlying unexplained mutational signatures, transforming them into causal, actionable knowledge to advance cancer prevention, early detection, and more equitable cancer care worldwide.