Christopher Schofield

Christopher Schofield is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford and Head of Chemistry at the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and has been a Fellow of Hertford College since 1990, previously serving as Head of Organic Chemistry from 2011 to 2021.

He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and completed his DPhil at Oxford under Jack Baldwin, focusing on antibiotic synthesis and biosynthesis.

His research centers on metallo-enzymes in biological systems, with pioneering work in antibiotic resistance and oxygen-sensing gene regulation. Key research areas include:

• Antibiotic resistance mechanisms via metallo-enzymes
• Oxygenase roles in hypoxic responses and gene expression
• Zn(II)-dependent nucleases in DNA repair
• Methodology for selective metallo-enzyme inhibitors
• Histone modifications and cancer metabolism

His discoveries have enabled new drug targets including hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylases and beta-lactamase inhibitors, leading to extensive industry and clinical collaborations.

Scientific recognition:

• Fellow of the Royal Society

He leads the Schofield Research Group, actively translating basic science into societal applications for antimicrobial resistance and rare diseases through partnerships with clinicians and pharmaceutical companies.