Ben Schumann

Ben Schumann is a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Biology at Imperial College London and a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, UK.

• Diploma in Biochemistry (2010, Tübingen University)
• Doctor of Natural Sciences (2015, Max Planck Institute & Freie Universität Berlin)
• Postdoctoral Fellow (2016, Stanford University) under Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Feodor Lynen Fellowship

His research focuses on glycobiology, particularly O-glycosylation and bioorthogonal chemistry, applying synthetic precision tools to study glycan roles in diseases like cancer and infectious pathogens. His work bridges organic synthesis, molecular biology, and proteomics, with a focus on GalNAc transferases and glycan analysis.

Recent publications highlight trends in glycan engineering, cell-specific tagging, and glycoprotein profiling using bump-and-hole strategies and metabolic labeling. Collaborations span structural biology, proteomics, and computational biology.

Scientific Awards

• Otto Hahn Medal (2017)
• Award for Excellence in Glycosciences

He co-authored 27 Crick publications (2018–2025) and 8 pre-Crick works. As Director of Imperial's MRes in Drug Discovery and Development, he trains next-generation scientists. His lab integrates genome engineering, chemo-enzymatic synthesis, and quantitative biology to unravel glycan functions.