Julian Downward

Julian Downward is an Associate Research Director and Senior Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute in London, UK, with a career spanning over three decades in cancer research. Previously, he held positions at the Institute of Cancer Research (part-time secondment), Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, and Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories.

• Current focus on RAS and EGFR oncogenes in human cancer
• Established EGFR as the product of the erbB proto-oncogene
• Mapped signaling pathways linking EGFR to RAS and T cell receptor activation
• Investigated RAS downstream pathways (MAP kinase, PI 3-kinase)
• Recent work on synthetic lethality in RAS mutant lung cancers and immune suppression mechanisms

Scientific awards and memberships:

• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) (2005)
• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) (2009)
• European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) member (1995)
• Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (2012)
• I.S.I. 'Citation Classic' recognition (1993)

His research has been supported by significant grants including Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Awards and European Research Council Advanced Grants.