Gabriel Waksman

Gabriel Waksman is a Courtauld Professor of Biochemistry at University College London (UCL) and Birkbeck, University of London, where he also serves as Director of the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology (ISMB) and Head of Department. He is a Professor of Structural and Molecular Biology with a long-standing track record in academic leadership.

• Current: Courtauld Professor of Biochemistry, UCL & Birkbeck; Director, ISMB; Head of Department
• Past: P. Roy and Diana Vagelos Professor, Washington University School of Medicine

Research Interests focus on structural and molecular biology, particularly bacterial secretion mechanisms, Gram-negative bacteria, and Type IV secretion systems. His work explores the molecular details of the chaperone-usher pathway and pilus biogenesis, bridging fundamental biochemical processes with pathogenicity.

Scientific Awards include:

• Royal Society – Wolfson Merit Award (2003)
• EMBO Membership (2007)
• Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) (2008)
• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) (2012)
• Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator (2013)
• ERC Advanced Investigator award (2013)
• Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Education includes training at École Normale Supérieure, dual BSc degrees in Genetics and Physical Chemistry from the University of Paris, followed by a Diplome d'Etudes Approfondies (DEA) and a Doctorat de Troisième Cycle (PhD) in Fundamental Biochemistry. He also served in the military in Ivory Coast (1982–1985) and worked as a Staff Scientist at Rhone Poulenc Agrochemical, Lyon, France (1985–1987).