Stephen Husbands

Stephen Husbands is a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bath, where he leads research on medicinal chemistry targeting opioid receptors and synthetic cannabinoids. His work focuses on developing ligands for treating CNS disorders and creating detection technologies for illicit substances. Current projects include collaborations with multiple universities and industry partners, funded by EPSRC, NIDA, and DSTL.

His research explores drug development for opioid/cocaine use disorders and next-generation drug detection systems. Recent work investigates synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarettes and novel analytical methods for forensic applications.

Husbands maintains an active role in preclinical drug development through pharmaceutical partnerships. His group collaborates internationally with institutions including University of Michigan and Imperial College London.

He leads the Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM) and contributes to the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change. Current grants support projects on rapid drug detection systems and cannabis harm reduction policy.