John Spencer

Professor John Spencer is a Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry and Director of the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex. With a distinguished career spanning academia and the pharmaceutical industry, he leads a research group focused on innovative drug discovery approaches.

His educational background includes a first-class honors degree from Sussex, a PhD from the University of Strasbourg (1990-1994), and postdoctoral studies at ETH Zurich. After 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry, he held academic positions first as Reader at Greenwich University (5 years) and then at the University of Sussex where he progressed from Reader to Professor.

Professor Spencer's research spans organic synthetic methodology, fragment-based drug design, PROTAC development, and C-H activation chemistry with applications in cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and infectious diseases. His work bridges fundamental chemical research with therapeutic applications, particularly in targeted protein degradation and novel drug delivery systems.

Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong focus on structure-guided drug design, with significant contributions to PROTAC technology, fragment-based screening methods, and the development of novel therapeutic approaches for cancer and infectious diseases. His work frequently appears in high-impact journals including Nature Communications, Angewandte Chemie, and Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

• Over 30 active and recent grants from major funding bodies including Wellcome Trust, EPSRC, Cancer Research UK, and industry partners
• Significant contributions to the Open Science discovery of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors
• Leadership in the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre infrastructure

Professor Spencer actively supervises multiple PhD students and postdocs while maintaining strong industry collaborations. His advisory roles include the Prostate Cancer UK Research Advisory Committee (2023-2027) and previous service on the Worldwide Cancer Research advisory board. He teaches Bioorganic Chemistry (Year 3), Advanced Organic Chemistry (Year 4), and Advanced Medicinal Chemistry for MSc students.

The Sussex Drug Discovery Centre under Professor Spencer's leadership serves as a hub for collaborative drug discovery research, connecting academic researchers with pharmaceutical industry partners to advance novel therapeutic approaches from concept to preclinical development.