Prof Simon Ward

Biography

Simon Ward has an MA in Natural Sciences and PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from Cambridge University. He has a wide ranging experience of drug discovery in both large and small companies (GlaxoSmithKline, BioCrea, Knoll Pharmaceuticals, Vernalis, Chiroscience) and specialist experience of discovering and developing drugs for central nervous system indications. He has led multidisciplinary project teams & medicinal chemistry groups from target identification, through to early clinical studies, delivering multiple clinical development candidates across indications. Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and among his external roles is a committee member for the Society for Medicines Research and the RSC Bio-organic and Medicinal Chemistry Sector and is also a member of the funding review panels for the MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme and Cancer Research UK Small Molecule Expert Review Panel.
In addition to his teaching role at Sussex, Simon plays a leading role in medicinal chemistry training in the UK and overseas, in particular through leading the RSC medicinal chemistry residential summer school and editing ‘The Handbook of Medicinal Chemistry: Principles and Practice’, both with Dr Andy Davis, AstraZeneca.
Simon is currently Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Director of the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which he founded within the University of Sussex in 2010.

Role

Professor of Medicinal Chemistry & Director of Sussex Drug Discovery Centre

Community and Business

Executive Vice President Chemistry & Development, biocrea GmbH (http://www.biocrea.com/)
Committee member of the Society for Medicines Research (http://www.smr.org.uk/)
Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, CChem, CSci), American Chemical Society and Society for Neuroscience
Panel member for MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme
Panel member for Cancer Research UK Small Molecule Expert Review Panel
Co-organiser of Royal Society of Chemistry Medicinal Chemistry Residential School