ProfessorAllan Lawrie

Allan Lawrie completed his PhD in the Department of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Sheffield in 2002, where his research explored vascular gene delivery (Supervisor: Professor Chris Newman). He subsequently undertook post‑doctoral training with Professor Marlene Rabinovitch at Stanford University, California, where he developed a long‑standing interest in the molecular mechanisms underpinning pulmonary hypertension.

In 2004, Allan returned to the University of Sheffield to establish a translational research programme in pulmonary hypertension. During this period, he was awarded early career and senior Fellowships from the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation, focused on understanding the role of the osteoprotegerin (OPG) / tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‑related apoptosis‑inducing ligand (TRAIL) axis in disease pathogenesis. He also secured a Medical Research Council Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS) award to co‑develop a novel therapeutic antibody targeting OPG for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Alongside colleagues in Sheffield, Allan co‑founded the University fo Sheffield spin-out PH Therapeutics Ltd, and co‑directed the Donald Heath Centre for Pulmonary Hypertension Research.

In April 2022, Allan joined the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. His research programme focuses on defining the mechanisms that drive pulmonary hypertension, with a strong emphasis on translation, including the development of new therapies, biomarkers, and data‑driven approaches to improve patient outcomes.

Allan is the PI on a major British Heart Foundation Programme Grant, My Heart Counts – Pulmonary Hypertension. This programme uses smartphone and wearable technology to capture real‑world physical activity and health data, linking it securely to healthcare records to support earlier diagnosis and better long‑term management of pulmonary hypertension. By combining large‑scale digital data with artificial intelligence and clinical insight, the programme aims to identify early warning signals, understand modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors, and develop scalable, non‑pharmacological strategies that can be adopted across healthcare systems.

At Imperial, Allan sits on the Executive Committee of the Imperial British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence and is Co‑Director of the British Heart Foundation four‑year Doctoral Training Programme. He is Chair of the NHLI Research Committee, Research Lead and Open Research Champion for NHLI, and a representative on the Faculty of Medicine Research Committee. Allan also serves on the Imperial College UKRI Innovation and Commercialisation (IAA) Healthy Society Committee.

Allan is a member and Deputy Chair of the Medical Research Council Non‑Clinical Training and Career Development Panel, and has previously been Chair of the Medical Research Foundation AI and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diagnostics Fellowship Panel. He is an active peer reviewer for leading international fucnders and cardiovascular and respiratory journals. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, and a Fellow of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute. Allan is also a Trustee and interim Chair of the board of Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK.