Dr. Claire Wade completed her undergraduate and postgraduate education at The University of NSW in the field of animal science and genetics. After working as an academic in the School of Veterinary Science at the University of QLD, Dr. Wade made the leap from quantitative genetics to genomics in 2002 when she accepted a position with the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The genomics group at the Whitehead later became one of the founding groups of what is now the Broad Institute. While in the USA, Dr. Wade worked on several mammalian genome projects including the mouse, dog, and horse (the latter, for which she was the lead researcher). In 2009, Dr. Wade returned to Australia and assumed her current position as a professor at the University of Sydney.

In recent years Dr. Wade’s canine focus has included playing key roles in the analysis leading to the Canine Genome Sequence (Nature, December 2005), the development of three canine gene mapping arrays (Two for Affymetrix and one for Illumina), and the mapping of several genes for canine diseases leading thus far to three commercially available genetic tests for genetic diseases (Parathyroid tumors in Keeshonden, Rod-cone dystrophy in the Wire-haired dachshund, and Degenerative myelopathy in many breeds). Projects currently underway are better understanding the genomics of behavior including finding genes underlying canine separation anxiety and working dog performance and mapping genes causing congenital disorders in dogs including cleft palate and deafness.

In addition to her publications in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Wade has authored several book chapters and spoken at numerous conferences regarding canine, feline, and equine genetics.