If my memory serves me well it is 20 years this week since I came to America as a Postdoc at Eli Lilly in 1996. The pharma industry was not looking great in the UK and I figured getting some experience in another country was worth a shot. I had not planned to be here …
Category Archive: biography
Mar
26
Whats holding back biopharmaceutical research in the USA?
Wow what a week.. If you were a fly on my wall in my virtual science office you would be blown away. My email has seen it all, my phone conferences have been blistering. But I am about to join the dots – and please give me some leeway, I may have stumbled on to …
Mar
16
Why this may be my last ACS
For many the ACS is the one meeting they go to year in year out. Me too. On and off over approximately 16 years I have attended with a poster or given talks and even done booth duty. But the current meeting in San Diego may well be my last. Monday I gave a couple of …
Nov
13
Male : female ratios on scientific websites, conferences and journal editorial boards
My young children (girl + boy) are interested in science, thankfully, heavily influenced by us as parent scientists and the museums and the scientists that they get to meet. But it has caused me to consider what the situation will be like in future for my daughter. What if? What if she continues with science …
Oct
27
Learning from pioneers in science from the 20th Century
Having just completed review of a manuscript that profiled a prominent scientist in my field from the 20th century, it got me thinking openly. Firstly, I rarely read profiles of long deceased scientists in my field, frankly who but perhaps the odd emeritus professor (with all due respect) would have time on their hands to …
Sep
15
Mistakes in manuscript reviewing 101: how to cloak your identity
A recent example got me thinking more about how anonymous reviewers could do a far better job of being well, “anonymous”. One such reviewer happened to request the mention of some specific type of molecular descriptor property. The lead author on the manuscript with very minimal effort was able to identify the lab that most …
Aug
11
My updated schedule for the ACS Boston meeting
Well next week it is the ACS in Boston and of course I leave it to the week before to pull everything together. I initially put up here my listing of abstracts titles etc back in May. This has now been updated a bit to include additional talk and poster showings as well as times …
Jul
29
Wearing many hats
I wear a few different hats and yesterday I was CEO, working on the commercialization plan for a phase II grant for a rare disease. To this point the big selling point was getting a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher but this is a challenge because its unclear if there will be more of …
Jul
09
Observations on big and small collaborations
Its been a pretty hectic year to date with several grants coming to their conclusion and the need for writing up final reports and manuscripts. In addition it has provided just a little time for reflection. Pretty much everything I am involved in is a collaboration of some sort so I am just a tiny …
May
28
Turning points and games with a purpose
Today I was talking to one of my old mentors from my postdoc days (in big pharma), for the first time in a few years. I realized that working with him and exposure to computational chemistry software was a real turning point in my career in 1996. Several more turning points later …and I am …
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