Ben Rutter

Ben has a PhD in Microbiology as well as a Bachelors degree in Genetics from the University of Aberdeen. His PhD research focused on secondary metabolite biosynthesis in fungi and utilised techniques including CRISPR gene editing, Whole Genome Sequencing & Bioinformatics. During his PhD, Ben was a STEM Ambassador and took part in a variety of public engagement activities such as the summer science festival at The Royal Society and he also held the role of ‘researcher in residence’ at a local secondary school. He has also spent time working at the GSK manufacturing site in Singapore, gaining experience in operational excellence where he led a project streamlining the manufacturing process of an anti-cancer drug.

After completing his PhD, Ben spent 18 months working in intellectual property, within the biotechnology team, at a leading law firm in Cambridge, drafting and prosecuting patent applications at various patent offices around the world. Clients included some of the leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies as well as academic institutions and cutting edge start-up companies.