I am a medicinal chemist by training and have spent my professional career focused on the discovery and development of new medicines for a range of diseases. During the last 25 years I have worked on therapeutic projects targeting indications as diverse as cancer and muscular dystrophy, and several of these programs have resulted in the identification of compounds which have progressed into human clinical trials. I am driven by the potential for drug discovery disciplines including medicinal chemistry to help translate biological insights into new medicines which will make a difference to people’s lives.

My current interests are focused on how to identify new drugs for sensory disabilities, specifically olfactory loss / dysfunction. Alongside this, raising awareness of how significantly problems with the sense of smell impact people’s lives is very important to me. I am delighted to be working with Fifth Sense to facilitate this.

After gaining my BSc in Chemistry, and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, I undertook postdoctoral work at The Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. On returning to the UK in the later 1990’s I then started my industrial career. I currently hold Chartered Chemist (CChem) status, am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and have co-authored around 30 peer reviewed papers, 2 book chapters, and am an inventor on nearly 50 granted patents or patent applications.