Robert Williams's Biography

Robert Williams, Chief Drug Development Scientist, Cancer Research UK

Dr Robert Williams is currently Chief Drug Development Scientist at Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development leading the scientific and medical teams that support a large portfolio of drug development projects including small molecules, antibodies, cell and gene therapies. Rob also has management responsibility for the CRUK-MedImmune antibody discovery laboratory in Cambridge. He has a PhD in pharmacology from Aston University and spent his early career in the pharmaceutical industry working for Glaxo and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer in drug discovery, heading up teams in the metabolic and inflammatory disease areas. He then worked in the biotech sector for several years including a spell with Prolifix where he was responsible for the preclinical development of Beleodaq, a histone deacetylase inhibitor now approved for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma.