David Chambers

Head of Biology (Professorial Research Fellow), University College London, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases

David is a trained neuroscientist and systems biologist whom specializes in uncovering the molecular logic of neuronal dysfunction and the associated drug discovery processes. He has an established independent academic and pharma research career that spans more than 20 years and this work has resulted in the identification of several novel mechanisms that drive neuronal behaviour as well as more than 60 published articles. David first studied genetics at The University of Nottingham before being awarded a PhD in Human Molecular Genetics at The University of Manchester. David gained further post-doctoral experience at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK; formerly SmithKlineBeecham [SKB]) before taking up a Senior Research Fellowship at UMDS, tenure at King’s College London and a subsequent senior role at Grunenthal GmbH. Thus, through his roles in both the Academic and Pharmaceutical sectors, David has a wide perspective on neuroscience-focussed drug discovery. Furthermore, David has worked alongside many biotechnology companies to help develop and refine their products for various life science markets.

Fiona Jeganathan

Head of Pharmacology and Screening (Principal Research Fellow), University College London, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases

Dr Jeganathan is Head of Screening and Pharmacology at the Alzheimer’s Research UK Drug Discovery Institute at University College London. Her experience spans more than 20 years in translational drug discovery in industry and academia as well as business development and strategic partnerships. Her technical experience spans bespoke assay development across broad therapeutic areas including neurology, oncology and immunology and has driven early-stage discovery and development through to candidate selection. She is an expert in high-throughput technologies and automation, structural approaches to drug discovery and cell and cell-free assays. She obtained her BSc in Medical Biochemistry and her PhD in Analytical sciences within the Pharmaceutical Science Research Division at Kings College London.