David Rowitch

David Rowitch is Professor and Head of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Cambridge, with a joint appointment at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is also a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute. His academic journey includes foundational training at UCLA Medical School (1982-1984) and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge (1984-1987).

His research focuses on genetic mechanisms governing glial cell development and their roles in neurological disorders. Key areas include:

• Developmental neurobiology of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes
• White matter injury in premature infants
• Brain cancer pathogenesis
• Therapeutic interventions for leukodystrophies
• Translational applications of neural stem cell therapies

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on neurodevelopment and glial biology, with recent trends exploring astrocyte positional signaling (2014), HIF-mediated myelination (2014), and Wnt pathway pathologies (2014). Earlier seminal work established principles of oligodendrocyte lineage specification.

Major scientific recognitions include:

• Election to US National Academy of Medicine (2024)
• Fellowship in the Royal Society (2021)
• Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship (2018)
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (2008)
• Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator (2016)

He collaborates with leading institutions including Cambridge's Stem Cell Institute (Robin Franklin, Austin Smith) and UCSF (Arnold Kriegstein, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla). His lab is funded by the NIH, Wellcome Trust, and Action Medical Research.

Professor Rowitch contributes to major initiatives like Cambridge Children's Hospital, integrating clinical care with research. He currently cannot accept Amgen or Erasmus+ students.