Professor of Cancer Research in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University
Director of the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute
Scientific Director of Wales Cancer Biobank

Professor Clarkson received his PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manchester and carried out research at the Universities of Queensland and Edinburgh before taking up a research fellowship at Cambridge University. He moved to Cardiff University where he set up the Clarkson lab, focusing on identifying novel therapeutic strategies to eliminate or modify the cancer cells responsible for cancer spread.

His group has identified two genes, one affects the viability and maintenance of cancer stem cells within tumours and the other impinges on the ability of tumour cells to move through tissues. Richard’s ongoing studies are aimed at characterising these mechanisms in more detail and developing novel therapeutics that target these two genes in patients with advanced and hard-to-treat solid tumours.

Richard holds several patents for novel potential anti-cancer therapeutics and has previously been a scientific advisor for a number of start-up cancer-related pharmaceutical companies.