Lucie Clapp

Professor Lucie Clapp is Professor of Vascular Physiology at University College London (UCL), Institute of Cardiovascular Science, and currently serves as Head of Pre-clinical & Fundamental Science and Deputy Director of the Institute. She has been a faculty member since 1996, progressing from Senior Lecturer to Reader (2002) and full Professor (2005). From 2015 to 2021 she was an elected professorial member of UCL Council.

Education:

• PhD, University of London (1985)
• BSc (Pharmacology, 2:1), University of Bristol (1981)
• Post-doctoral fellowship & Instructor in Physiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA (1985-1988)

Research Interests:
Professor Clapp’s work converges on vascular physiology, pulmonary hypertension, prostacyclin signalling and ion-channel pharmacology. Her laboratory deciphers the biophysical properties of vascular potassium channels and their roles in septic shock, vascular remodelling and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). She explores prostacyclin analogues at membrane and nuclear receptors, with emphasis on PPARγ-mediated pathways and novel receptor targets. Complementary studies focus on circulating biomarkers, mitochondrial dynamics and calcineurin regulation of K_ATP channels in smooth muscle.

Publication Trends:
Across 178 outputs, recent work (2020-2025) centres on prostacyclin mimetics, GPCR pharmacology, microRNA regulation, epigenetic therapeutics and liquid-biopsy biomarkers for cancer and cardiovascular disease, reflecting a seamless integration of fundamental pharmacology with translational medicine.

Scientific Awards & Fellowships:

• Howard Sprague Fellowship, American Heart Association (AHA)
• Career Development Award, Wellcome Trust
• Senior Fellowship, Medical Research Council (1996-2006)
• Fellow, American Heart Association (2001)
• Fellow, Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (2010)
• Fellow, Royal Society of Biology (2011)
• AstraZeneca Prize for Women in Pharmacology, British Pharmacological Society (2017)
• Advancement of Learning and Teaching Award, UCL (2013)

Teaching, Advising & Grants:
Professor Clapp is a passionate educator and mentor. She founded and directs the iBSc in Cardiovascular Science for 3rd-year medical students, leads the Heart & Circulation module (PHOL0007) and lectures on multiple BSc, MSc and PhD programmes. Since 2009 she has co-organised and mentored on the British Heart Foundation 4-year PhD scheme. She has secured long-term funding from the MRC, Wellcome Trust, United Therapeutics and other biotech partners, and has served on editorial boards (British Journal of Pharmacology, 2009-2015) and grant-review panels worldwide.

Labs & Consortia:
She heads a vibrant laboratory within the Centre for Cardiovascular Physiology & Pharmacology, Rayne Building, and spearheads the UCL-wide Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Consortium, uniting clinicians and scientists across affiliated hospitals. This network feeds into the national BRIDGE cohort study and the international Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI), where she sits on the Preclinical & Molecular Science Task Force.