The Academy of Medical Sciences has announced three significant awards through its flagship Professorships programme, backing outstanding researchers whose work connects across disciplines, sectors and borders to advance health and biomedical innovation.
Professor Philip Shaw, Professor Marc Dewey and Professor Richard White have each received up to £500,000 to establish or expand their research programmes and build lasting collaborations that strengthen the UK’s position as a global research hub whilst addressing urgent health challenges affecting populations worldwide.
The awardees are working across fields such as mental health, heart disease and cancer biology. Having relocated to the UK from leading institutions in the United States and Germany, this shows that the UK continues to attract talented researchers. Such international talent and partnerships continue to shape and strengthen the UK’s research landscape. By supporting cross-border networks, the Professorship Scheme helps ensure discoveries made in the UK are informed by, and beneficial to, communities worldwide while deepening the UK’s connections within the global scientific community.
Professor James Naismith FRS FRSE FMedSci, Vice President (Non-Clinical), Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “The AMS Professorships are an investment in people – in the kind of leaders who make science truly global. By supporting researchers who collaborate internationally, mentor generously and think beyond traditional boundaries, we’re strengthening the UK’s scientific voice and ensuring that discovery and innovation benefit everyone, everywhere.
“These awards recognise and invest in scientific leadership. They give talented individuals the freedom and stability to think ambitiously, collaborate widely and drive health innovation that delivers tangible global impact. Congratulations to the awardees, they represent the very best of UK medical science – creative, outward-looking and committed to improving lives.”
Funded by the Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Professorships are part of the Academy’s broader ambition to nurture leadership, strengthen international science diplomacy and ensure that the UK remains deeply connected to global research networks. By attracting world-leading researchers to establish their programmes in the UK, the awards support the UK’s research capacity whilst enabling collaboration on shared international priorities, such as pandemic preparedness, climate health resilience and equitable access to innovation.
UK Science Minister Lord Vallance FMedSci said: "These awards from the Academy of Medical Sciences will help make sure that the next great breakthroughs in mental health, tackling heart disease, and the fight against cancer continue to be made in the UK. Improving the lives of all citizens is at the heart of their research.
"The UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to incubate brilliant ideas, and turn them into innovations that change and save lives. Anchoring these three awardees' work here will only bolster the UK, as the natural home of progress in medical science."
Professor Philip Shaw explores how differences in the brain, genes, and environment interact to shape outcomes for children as they grow into adulthood. Having joined King’s College London in October 2024 from the US National Institutes of Health, Professor Shaw brings international expertise in genetics, neuroimaging and child psychiatry to his leadership of the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People. Through his Professorship, he will continue to investigate ADHD progression, translating insights into better-targeted treatments and new interventions. The award will also help his team build stronger links with local communities, ensuring their research reflects the diversity and lived experience of South London families.
Professor Shaw said: “I’m honoured to be recognised by the Academy of Medical Sciences through this Professorship. The award will enable my team to use large-scale data to understand why some children ‘grow out’ of ADHD while others continue to face challenges into adulthood, and to translate those insights into more precise, effective interventions. Having recently joined the UK research community, I’m excited to be part of such a collaborative and internationally connected environment that values global perspectives in improving children’s and young people’s mental health.”
Marc Dewey is the Professor of Radiology at the University of Cambridge, previously of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and is pioneering with his interdisciplinary team non-invasive cardiovascular imaging to improve diagnosis and treatment of heart disease worldwide. His research bridges technical innovation, clinical studies and outcomes research. Professor Dewey will use his Professorship to expand his UK collaborations, working across radiology, cardiology, physics and data science to advance safer, more efficient, and globally applicable imaging technologies.
Professor Dewey said: “Imagine a CT scan so detailed that it shows the heart’s microscopic structure and the origins of heart attacks. That’s what we are aiming at: to predict and prevent heart disease earlier than ever. The AMS Professorship will support turning this vision a reality through UK-led collaboration in medicine, engineering, mathematics, and AI.”
Professor Richard White, based at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, is investigating the fundamental biology of how cancers grow and spread. A clinician-scientist by training, his research uses zebrafish models to study tumour development in real time, revealing how cancer cells interact with their surrounding environment. Through his Professorship, Professor White will explore how the physical and genetic context of tumour cells influences their behaviour, with the aim of identifying new ways to prevent cancer progression and improve treatment. His work exemplifies how basic biological discovery can lay the foundation for future advances in patient care.
Professor White said: “Cancers are remarkably adaptable – they can change their behaviour to spread and resist treatment. Through my Professorship, I’ll investigate how the physical environment around skin cancer cells, such as temperature and mechanical forces, might influence this adaptability. By understanding these processes, we hope to uncover new ways to stop cancer from spreading and make treatments more effective.”
Applications for the next round of AMS Professorships are currently open. The scheme welcomes applications from researchers based overseas who are moving to the UK to take up a Professorship position, as well as those who have recently commenced such a role. While this does not have to be their first full Professorship, this scheme is intended to support researchers in the early-leadership career stage and this will be taken into account in the assessment of applications. Full eligibility criteria, guidance, and details of the application process are available on the Academy’s website. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 21 January 2026.