The activities of the Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences is managed and supported by a small team based at the University of Cambridge, with input from an advisory board made up of of academics and industrial scientists.
Professor Anne Willis
Co-Director
Anne obtained a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London while working in the Imperial Cancer Research Fund laboratories (now CRUK) on DNA repair. In 2004 she was appointed Director of Cancer Research Nottingham and Chair of Cancer Cell Biology. In 2010 Anne became Director of the MRC Toxicology Unit, which will relocate to Cambridge in 2020. She was awarded an OBE for services to biomedical sciences in 2015, and appointed Fellow of the British Toxicology Society in 2018. Anne joined CATS as co-director in April 2020.
Professor Laura Itzaki
Co-Director
Laura's background is in Chemistry and Biochemistry. She moved to the Department of Pharmacology in 2013 and was appointed Professor of Structural Pharmacology in 2017. Her group's interest is in applying protein engineering and design to interrogate and modulate cellular processes. She is scientific co-founder and CSO of PolyProx Therapeutics, a biotherapeutics company based at the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge. Laura joined CATS as co-director in April 2020.
Meghana Patel PhD
Executive Manager
Meghana is the Executive Manager at CATS and is responsible for the development and operation of the activites of CATS. She manages the CATS team and drives collaboration and partnership in research translation, education, training and policy. This includes working with academics and senior staff across the University, industry leaders and external partners, actively seeking new opportunities for funding and collaborative activities to bring mutual benefit. Meghana obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she later continued her scientific path as a research associate. She later joined GSK to work in drug discovery in the Academic Industry partnership. Meghana has over 15 years of experience spanning academia, industry and the charity sector. Before joining the CATS team, she was working at LifeArc and commercialisation offices across various universities in London (UCL, Imperial College and QMUL). She joined CATS in June 2020.
Jenny Versnel PhD
Director of MPhil in Therapeutic Sciences and Policy
Jenny is the Course Director of the MPhil in Therapeutic Sciences and Director of Policy. Prior to joining CATS, Jenny was Academic Director for the MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise (MBE) at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. With a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Cambridge, Jenny has worked as a scientist in the academic, commercial and charitable sectors for more than 20 years, particularly in the field of neuromuscular disease. She has also held numerous appointments to boards, consortia and committees with advisory and policy responsibilities across diverse health sectors.
Juraj Rievaj PhD
Senior Research Facilitator
Juraj became the CATS team member in 2020, after spending 11 years in wet lab physiology research in both academic and industrial environment. He has a background in medicine and physics and PhD in Neurobiology. He is responsible for implementing the University’s Institutional Translational Partnership Award from the Wellcome Trust by encouraging academics to engage in translational research, organising Gateway to Translation seminar series, supporting collaboration between the University and with industry, and administrating funding schemes aimed to support translational research within the University.
Caroline Reynolds
Senior Research Facilitator
Caroline is responsible for the University's Wellcome Institutional Translational Partnership Award promoting engagement in translational activities, supporting collaboration between the University and Industry, and administering funding schemes aimed to support translational research within the University. Caroline joined CATS in 2022, having spent 2 years as Impact Facilitator in the Bioscience Impact Team managing institutional awards and facilitating translational activities and industry engagement. She has a PhD in Applied Animal Biochemistry, and spent 12 years as a metabolism biochemist in an agrochemical company, followed by experience in research management, contract research, business development and translation of research to commercial opportunities through charity and industry roles.
Carmen Smith PhD
CATS Team Administrator
Carmen joined the CATS team in 2018, having completed an internship at the United Nations Research institute for Sustainable Development in Geneva and worked as Centre Coordinator for the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity at the University of Surrey. She has a PhD in sustainability from the University of Bath. Carmen provides administrative support across CATS activites including the Expert in Residence and Access to Expertise programmes as well as managing the CATS communications and events portfolio.
Taha Firdous Shah MPhil
MPhil and Training Administrator
Taha Firdous Shah is the MPhil and Training Administrator at the Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences. She provides administrative support for the MPhil course, which includes managing the course timetable and assessments, as well as liaising with lecturers and students. She also supports CATS with its industrial partnerships such as AstraZeneca. Taha has an MPhil in Modern Asian Studies from the University of Cambridge. Before joining the CATS team, she was working as an Subject Examination Advisor at Cambridge University Press and Assessment. She joined CATS in 2022.
