Dr Helen Hipperson

School of Biosciences

Research & Development Fellow in Genomics

Image of Dr. Helen Hipperson outdoors
Profile picture of Image of Dr. Helen Hipperson outdoors
h.hipperson@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0049
Profile

Career

  • Research & Development Fellow in Genomics (2018–present)
  • Data Analyst, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, University of Sheffield (2015–2018)
  • Post-doctoral Research Associate, Imperial College London (2010–2014)
  • Associate Project Manager, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2009–2010)
  • PhD ‘Conservation genetics in protected populations’, Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield (2005–2008)
Research interests

My research focuses on applying genomic techniques to answer questions in plant and soil biology, ecology, evolution, conservation and population genomics. I apply cutting-edge sequencing technologies and approaches to design experiments and analyse genomic data from a wide range of sample types and projects, including de novo genomics and transcriptomics, epigenetics, metabarcoding and working with environmental DNA.

My current research projects include determining dietary components in wild sheep populations (NERC ‘Ecology Within’ project in collaboration with the Dan Nussey, University of Edinburgh), Exploring and Exploiting Epigenetic Plant Immunity (BBSRC project in collaboration with Jurriaan Ton) and working with researchers in Uganda on a GCRF project to apply rapid, in-field genomics for the monitoring and management of insect-vectored viral crop diseases.

I manage the long-read sequencing facility in the Genomics Laboratory and deliver bioinformatics training as part of the NERC Environment Omics Facility.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

  • Crawley MJ, Pakeman RJ, Albon SD, Pilkington JG, Stevenson IR, Morrissey MB, Jones OR, Allan E, Bento AI, Hipperson H , Asefa G et al (2021) . Journal of Ecology, 109(12), 3988-4006.
  • Vekemans X, Castric V, Hipperson H, Müller NA, Westerdahl H & Cronk Q (2021) . Molecular Ecology, 30(23), 6072-6086.
  • Zecherle LJ, Nichols HJ, Bar‐David S, Brown RP, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ & Templeton AR (2021) . Evolutionary Applications, 14(5), 1216-1224.
  • Zecherle LJ, Bar-David S, Nichols HJ, Templeton AR, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ & Brown RP (2020) . Biological Conservation, 252.
  • Hosegood J, Humble E, Ogden R, de Bruyn M, Creer S, Stevens GMW, Abudaya M, Bassos‐Hull K, Bonfil R, Fernando D , Foote AD et al (2020) . Molecular Ecology, 29(24), 4783-4796.
  • Garrett LJH, Myatt JP, Sadler JP, Dawson DA, Hipperson H, Colbourne JK, Dickey RC, Weber SB & Reynolds SJ (2020) . Scientific Reports, 10.
  • Doble CJ, Hipperson H, Salzburger W, Horsburgh GJ, Mwita C, Murrell DJ & Day JJ (2020) . Environmental DNA, 2(1), 24-41.
  • Matthews A, Pierce S, Hipperson H & Raymond B (2019) . Frontiers in Microbiology, 10.
  • Bhattacharyya S, Dawson DA, Hipperson H & Ishtiaq F (2019) . Molecular Ecology, 28(2), 250-265.
  • Clark MS, Thorne MAS, King M, Hipperson H, Hoffman JI & Peck LS (2018) . Functional Ecology, 32(8), 1982-1994.
  • Dunn JC, Stockdale JE, Moorhouse-Gann RJ, McCubbin A, Hipperson H, Morris AJ, Grice PV & Symondson WOC (2018) . Molecular Ecology, 27(16), 3386-3407.
  • Moorhouse-Gann RJ, Dunn JC, de Vere N, Goder M, Cole N, Hipperson H & Symondson WOC (2018) . Scientific Reports, 8(1).
  • Armstrong C, Richardson DS, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ, Küpper C, Percival-Alwyn L, Clark M, Burke T & Spurgin LG (2018) . Evolution Letters, 2(1), 22-36.
  • Whitlock R, Hipperson H, Thompson DBA, Butlin RK & Burke T (2016) . Biological Conservation, 203, 134-142.
  • Dunning LT, Hipperson H, Baker WJ, Butlin RK, Devaux C, Hutton I, Igea J, Papadopulos AST, Quan X, Smadja CM , Turnbull CGN et al (2016) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
  • Hipperson H, Dunning LT, Baker WJ, Butlin RK, Hutton I, Papadopulos AST, Smadja CM, Wilson TC, Devaux C & Savolainen V (2016) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

All publications

Journal articles

  • Simons D, Hipperson H, Webb TJ, Spencer M, Horsburgh GJ & Mieszkowska N (2025) . Environmental DNA, 7(5).
  • Eliza M, Hipperson H & Harrison E (2025) . Symbiosis, 96, 249-260.
  • Day G, Bolderstone T, Conway GJ, Cross T, Davis T, Dolan M, Greening M, Neale C, Nicholson I, Nicholson K , Ward A et al (2025) . Molecular Ecology, 34(13).
  • Vallin H, Hipperson H, Titěra J, Jones L & Fraser M (2025) . Ecology and Evolution, 15(4).
  • Llanos J, Hipperson H, Horsburgh G, Lappage MG, Maher KH, Burke T, Leake JR & Watt PJ (2025) . Science of The Total Environment, 968.
  • Martin H, Rogers LA, Moushtaq L, Brindley AA, Forbes P, Quintion AR, Murphy ARJ, Hipperson H, Daniell TJ, Ndeh D , Amsbury S et al (2025) . The ISME Journal, 19(1).
  • Day G, Fox G, Hipperson H, Maher KH, Tucker R, Horsburgh GJ, Waters D, Durant KL, Burke T, Slate J & Arnold KE (2024) . Ecology and Evolution, 14(10).
  • Ellis EE, Edmondson JL, Maher KH, Hipperson H & Campbell SA (2023) . Ecology Letters, 26(8), 1382-1393.
  • Wilkinson SW, Hannan Parker A, Muench A, Wilson RS, Hooshmand K, Henderson MA, Moffat EK, Rocha PSCF, Hipperson H, Stassen JHM , López Sánchez A et al (2023) . Nature Plants, 9(1), 81-95.
  • Dunn JC, Thomas RC, Hipperson H, Sheehan DJ, Orsman C, Mallord J & Goodman SJ (2023) . Parasitology, 150(2), 206-211.
  • Thomas RC, Dunn JC, Dawson DA, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ, Morris AJ, Orsman C, Mallord J, Grice PV, Hamer KC , Eraud C et al (2022) . Molecular Ecology, 31(9), 2730-2751.
  • Thomas RC, Dunn JC, Orsman CJ, Morris AJ, Hipperson H, Grice PV, Hamer KC & Goodman SJ (2022) . Conservation Genetics Resources, 14, 225-229.
  • Moorhouse‐Gann RJ, Vaughan IP, Cole NC, Goder M, Tatayah V, Jones CG, Mike D, Young RP, Bruford MW, Rivers MC , Hipperson H et al (2022) . Journal of Applied Ecology, 59(9), 2245-2261.
  • Crawley MJ, Pakeman RJ, Albon SD, Pilkington JG, Stevenson IR, Morrissey MB, Jones OR, Allan E, Bento AI, Hipperson H , Asefa G et al (2021) . Journal of Ecology, 109(12), 3988-4006.
  • Vekemans X, Castric V, Hipperson H, Müller NA, Westerdahl H & Cronk Q (2021) . Molecular Ecology, 30(23), 6072-6086.
  • Zecherle LJ, Nichols HJ, Bar‐David S, Brown RP, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ & Templeton AR (2021) . Evolutionary Applications, 14(5), 1216-1224.
  • Zecherle LJ, Bar-David S, Nichols HJ, Templeton AR, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ & Brown RP (2020) . Biological Conservation, 252.
  • Cruz-López M, Fernández G, Hipperson H, Palacios E, Cavitt J, Galindo-Espinosa D, Gómez del Angel S, Pruner R, Gonzalez O, Burke T & Küpper C (2020) . BMC Evolutionary Biology, 20.
  • Hosegood J, Humble E, Ogden R, de Bruyn M, Creer S, Stevens GMW, Abudaya M, Bassos‐Hull K, Bonfil R, Fernando D , Foote AD et al (2020) . Molecular Ecology, 29(24), 4783-4796.
  • Garrett LJH, Myatt JP, Sadler JP, Dawson DA, Hipperson H, Colbourne JK, Dickey RC, Weber SB & Reynolds SJ (2020) . Scientific Reports, 10.
  • Doble CJ, Hipperson H, Salzburger W, Horsburgh GJ, Mwita C, Murrell DJ & Day JJ (2020) . Environmental DNA, 2(1), 24-41.
  • Kleinschmidt B, Burger C, Dorsch M, Nehls G, Heinänen S, Morkūnas J, Žydelis R, Moorhouse-Gann RJ, Hipperson H, Symondson WOC & Quillfeldt P (2019) . Marine Biology, 166(6).
  • Matthews A, Pierce S, Hipperson H & Raymond B (2019) . Frontiers in Microbiology, 10.
  • Bhattacharyya S, Dawson DA, Hipperson H & Ishtiaq F (2019) . Molecular Ecology, 28(2), 250-265.
  • Clark MS, Thorne MAS, King M, Hipperson H, Hoffman JI & Peck LS (2018) . Functional Ecology, 32(8), 1982-1994.
  • Dunn JC, Stockdale JE, Moorhouse-Gann RJ, McCubbin A, Hipperson H, Morris AJ, Grice PV & Symondson WOC (2018) . Molecular Ecology, 27(16), 3386-3407.
  • Moorhouse-Gann RJ, Dunn JC, de Vere N, Goder M, Cole N, Hipperson H & Symondson WOC (2018) . Scientific Reports, 8(1).
  • Armstrong C, Richardson DS, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ, Küpper C, Percival-Alwyn L, Clark M, Burke T & Spurgin LG (2018) . Evolution Letters, 2(1), 22-36.
  • Booth Jones KA, Nicoll MAC, Raisin C, Dawson DA, Hipperson H, Horsburgh GJ, Groombridge JJ, Ismar SMH, Sweet P, Jones CG , Tatayah V et al (2017) . Molecular Ecology, 26(20), 5716-5728.
  • Whitlock R, Hipperson H, Thompson DBA, Butlin RK & Burke T (2016) . Biological Conservation, 203, 134-142.
  • Dunning LT, Hipperson H, Baker WJ, Butlin RK, Devaux C, Hutton I, Igea J, Papadopulos AST, Quan X, Smadja CM , Turnbull CGN et al (2016) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
  • Hipperson H, Dunning LT, Baker WJ, Butlin RK, Hutton I, Papadopulos AST, Smadja CM, Wilson TC, Devaux C & Savolainen V (2016) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
  • Papadopulos AST, Kaye M, Devaux C, Hipperson H, Lighten J, Dunning LT, Hutton I, Baker WJ, Butlin RK & Savolainen V (2014) . Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 369(1648).
  • Papadopulos AST, Price Z, Devaux C, Hipperson H, Smadja CM, Hutton I, Baker WJ, Butlin RK & Savolainen V (2013) . Journal of Evolutionary Biology , 26(4), 733-745.
  • WHITLOCK R, HIPPERSON H, MANNARELLI M, BUTLIN RK & BURKE T (2008) . Molecular Ecology Resources, 8(4), 725-735.
  • WHITLOCK R, HIPPERSON H, MANNARELLI M & BURKE T (2008) . Molecular Ecology Resources, 8(4), 736-741.
  • WHITLOCK R, HIPPERSON H, MANNARELLI M & BURKE T () . Molecular Ecology Resources, 0(0), 080310190901533-???.

Conference proceedings

  • Akram KM, Rahman M, Khan T, Hipperson H, Ikumi N, Oosthuizen A, Matjila M & Anumba DOC (2023) Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing Reveals Distinct Virome Profiles in Term and Preterm Human Placenta. REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, Vol. 30 (pp 161A-161A)

Preprints

  • Llanos J, Hipperson H, Horsburgh G, Lappage MG, Maher KH, Burke T, Leake JR & Watt PJ (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Day G, Fox G, Hipperson H, Maher K, Tucker R, Horsburgh G, Waters D, Durrant KL, Arnold K, Burke T & Slate J (2023) , Wiley.
  • Winder LA, Parsons P, Horsburgh G, Maher K, Hipperson H, Wierzbicki C, Jeffries AR, Brown MR, Fairbrother-Browne A, Denise H , Khalifa MS et al (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Thomas R, Dunn J, Dawson D, Hipperson H, Horsburgh G, Morris A, Orsman C, Mallord J, Grice P, Hamer KC , Eraud C et al (2022) , Wiley.
  • Hosegood J, Humble E, Ogden R, de Bruyn M, Creer S, Stevens G, Abudaya M, Bassos-Hull K, Bonfil R, Fernando D , Foote AD et al (2018) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Links