Benjamin Schumann

Benjamin Schumann is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, and a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute. His work bridges synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, and cell biology to develop precision tools for glycan analysis, focusing on O-GalNAc glycosylation and its role in diseases like cancer. He is affiliated with multiple networks including the CRUK Convergence Science Centre and the Institute of Chemical Biology.

• Diploma in Biochemistry, Tübingen University (2010)
• Doctor of Natural Sciences, Max Planck Institute/FU Berlin (2015)

His research explores glycosylation using bump-and-hole enzyme engineering and BOCTAG technology, enabling cell-specific glycoprotein profiling. He investigates how glycan modifications affect SARS-CoV-2 spike protein dynamics and tumor growth, particularly in prostate cancer via GALNT7 upregulation.

Recent publications highlight his lab's development of steric-bulk GalNAc analogues to bypass endogenous enzyme promiscuity, enhancing glycan labeling specificity. His work also improves mass spectrometry analysis of glycopeptides through charged tags.

• Award for Excellence in Glycosciences
• Otto Hahn Medal (2017)
• 2021 Horizon Prize Winner

He supervises PhD student Beatriz Calle and leads the Imperial College MRes Drug Discovery and Development course. His lab collaborates with the Fuchter group and industrial partners, utilizing facilities like the MRC Biomedical NMR Centre and Proteomics STP.