Portrait of Linda Partridge

Head and shoulder portrait of Linda Partridge, looking out at the camera, taken at University College London.

Dame Linda Partridge, geneticist and founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1996.

Linda studies the processes and genetics of ageing, the mechanisms that can extend lifespan in model organisms and also age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Her work has applications in the development of new treatments for these diseases, as well as in maintaining good health as we age. Her current focus is on pharmacological treatments that ameliorate the human ageing process to produce a broad-spectrum improvement in health during ageing.

In 2009, Linda was awarded the Royal Society's Croonian Medal, delivering that year's lecture, entitled 'The new biology of ageing', and the Linnean Society's Darwin-Wallace Medal.