Professor Whitelaw has contributed significantly to the field of epigenetics spanning 20 years of research, clarifying the genotype-phenotype relationships in higher organisms. She pioneered the study of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, showing for the first time that epigenetic states can be inherited to the next generation. She established a sensitised dominant screen in mouse to find genes involved in epigenetic reprogramming, now a valuable international resource in itself. Her research programs extend into the study of complex human diseases caused by gene-environment interactions, to identify novel targets for drug discovery and markers to predict disease risk.