Professor John Common

Professor of Cutaneous Inflammation & Microbiome
Newcastle University

Biography

Professor John Common is a skin scientist whose work focuses on skin barrier biology, inflammatory skin disease, and host–microbe interactions. He completed his PhD at Queen Mary University of London before spending 20 years at A*STAR in Singapore, where he established major programmes in skin genetics, cell biology and microbiome research.
In 2024 he was appointed Professor of Cutaneous Inflammation & Microbiome at Newcastle University, returning to the North East where he grew up. His research bridges fundamental discovery with translational applications, including mechanisms related to inflammatory skin diseases, skin microbiomes, and rare skin diseases.

Contributions to Newcastle Dermatology Research

Professor Common leads research into:

• Skin genetics and barrier dysfunction – including pioneering sequencing approaches for filaggrin and other epidermal differentiation complex genes.
• Skin microbiome and metatranscriptomics – developing methods to understand microbial gene activity and host–microbe interactions in atopic dermatitis, acne, and other skin conditions.
• Novel therapeutics – exploring RNA-based treatments, and vaccines for inflammatory and infectious skin diseases.
• Translational research capacity – building collaborative pipelines that link laboratory discovery, 3D skin models, and clinical dermatology at Newcastle.

Through these research goals we aim to position Newcastle as a centre for excellence in skin research, with strong academic–industry partnerships and international collaborations.