Doveston Lab

About Richard

I am originally from Northampton and first moved to Leicester in 2008 to study Pharmaceutical Chemistry (MChem) which included a year in industry with GlaxoSmithKline. After completing my MChem in 2008 I went on to complete a PhD in the group of Prof. Richard Taylor at the University of York. My PhD involved developing a synthetic route to the natural product janoxepin. Following this, I took up a post-doctoral position with Prof. Adam Nelson and Prof. Steve Marsden at the University of Leeds to work in the area of ‘lead-oriented synthesis’.

In 2015 I joined the Chemical Biology Group at the Technical University of Eindhoven (NL), and was subsequently awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship in 2016. My research, carried out under Prof. Luc Brunsveld and Dr. Christian Ottmann, was focused on the discovery and evaluation of novel bioactive small molecules with a particular interest in using molecular glues to stabilise protein-protein interactions.

I established my research group in the School of Chemistry and Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology in 2018. We are interested in continuing to understand and exploit the chemistry behind molecular glues in a pharmaceutical context. We take an interdisciplinary approach, working closely with structural biologists and cell biologists.

Outside of academic life I enjoy a busy family life, running, good food, a beer with my friends, and supporting Northampton Saints rugby team.

Awards

EPSRC New Investigator Award (2022-2025), £410k

Royal Society Research Grant (2019-2021), £20k

Royal Society of Chemistry Research Fund (2018-2019), £4k

Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (2016-2018), €165k