Tom Brown

Tom Brown is Professor of Nucleic Acid Chemistry in the Departments of Chemistry and Oncology at Oxford University. His research interests center on oligonucleotide synthesis and applications of oligonucleotides in biology and medicine (diagnostics and therapeutics). His group has recently worked on the synthesis of oligonucleotides containing artificial backbones (e.g. triazoles) and on chemically modified CRISPR RNA. He is co-inventor of several technologies for genetic analysis and co-founder of three Biotech companies including ATDBio (synthesis of modified oligonucleotides). He has published around 450 research papers and patents. Awards include the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Josef Losch midt prize, the RSC award for Nucleic Acid Chemistry, the RSC prize for Interdisciplinary Research, Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the year (2014), and BBSRC Innovator of the Year (2016). He was also presented with a lifetime award for external engagement and promoting impact by Oxford University. Tom is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is former President of the Chemistry-Biology Interface Division of the RSC, Editor-in-Chief of the RSC Book series on Chemical Biology, and was co-Chair of the 2018 EuCheMS Congress in Liverpool, UK. He recently completed a four-year stint as Associate Head of the Chemistry Department at Oxford University with responsibility for Research.