Scientific Advisory Board

The charity has a Scientific Advisory Board with a strong international membership to ensure that funds raised will be spent as effectively as possible.

Role of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)

As part of the scientific review process, the Board provides expert advice to the CEO and Trustees on:

  • Development of the charity’s research strategy and grant giving programme
  • External referees for applications (‘peer reviewers’)
  • Assessment of and final recommendations on applications

The SAB also provides advice and support for the charity on reporting and dissemination of research results.

Download the SAB Terms of Reference

Chair of the SAB


Professor Michelle Garrett, Professor of Cancer Therapeutics, University of Kent, UK, 2021-present

Lay membership


  • Angela Donkin, UK, 2021- present
  • Charles Czajkowski, UK, 2022-present
  • Joanna Allison, UK, 2022-present

Technical membership


  • Dr Julie Guillermet-Guibert, Team Leader, INSERM, Toulouse, France, 2017-present
  • Professor Tony Hollingsworth, Associate Director for Basic Research, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Centre , USA, 2017-present
  • Professor Raghu Kalluri, Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Texas USA, 2017-present
  • Professor Ilse Rooman, Professor, Vrije Universiteit, Belgium, 2017-present
  • Professor Anirban Maitra, Professor of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Texas USA, 2021-present
  • Professor Paula Ghaneh, Professor of Surgery and Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool, UK, 2021-present
  • Professor Dieter Saur, Gastroenterologist and Oncologist, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 2021-present
  • Professor Maria Hawkins, Professor of Radiation Oncology, University College London, UK, 2021-present
  • Mr Richard Jackson, Senior Lecturer (Medical Statistician), Health Data Science, University of Liverpool, UK, 2021-present
  • Dr Gina DeNicola, Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Centre, Florida, US, 2021-present
  • Dr Stephanie Dougan, Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, US, 2021-present
  • Professor Seth Coffelt, Junior Group Leader, CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, UK, 2021-present

Previous members of the SAB


  • Professor Stephen Smith, International Academic and Health Consultancy, UK, SAB Chair, 2017-2020
  • Professor David Tuveson, Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA, 2010-2016
  • Professor Aldo Scarpa, Università di Verona, Italy, 2010-2017
  • Dr Kyoichi Takaori, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, 2013-2017
  • Professor Jim Abbruzzese, Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Duke University, North Carolina, USA, 2010-2019
  • Professor Andrew Biankin, Regius Chair of Surgery/Director of Translational Research Centre, Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, University of Glasgow, UK, 2010-2019
  • Professor Helmut Friess, Department of Surgery, Technische Universität München, Germany, 2010-2019
  • Professor Francisco Real, Programa de Patología Molecular, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, Madrid, Spain, 2010-2019
  • Professor Eithne Costello, Pancreas Research Group, Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK, 2013-2019
  • Professor Nick Lemoine, Director of the Barts Cancer Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, UK, 2013-2019
  • Professor Kenneth Hess, Professor of Biostatistics, MD Andersor Cancer Centre, Texas USA, 2017-2019
  • John Nathan, Lay Member, UK, 2014-2017
  • Catherine McGrath, Lay Member, UK, 2014-2017
  • Dr Anna Gerring, Lay Member, UK, 2018-2019
  • Katerina Georgiadis, Lay member, UK, 2018-2019
  • Zoë Buckley, Lay Member, UK, 2018-2020
  • Professor Daniel Palmer-North West Cancer Research Fund Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, University of Liverpool, UK, Guest member for 2019-20
  • Professor Gillies McKenna, Head of the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, UK, 2016-2020
  • Stuart McWilliam, Lay member, UK, 2021
  • Michael Stead, Lay member, UK, 2018-2022
  • Professor Juan Valle, Professor in Medical Oncology, University of Manchester, UK, 2016-2022
  • Professor Margaret Tempero, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA, 2016-2022
  • Professor Rajesh Chopra, Venture Partner, Apple Tree Partners, UK, 2017-2022

Conflicts of Interest Policy

Pancreatic Cancer UK has a rigorous policy on conflicts of interest in relation to both external peer reviewers and members of the SAB. Note that an important part of this policy is that the Chair or Vice Chair will withdraw from the entire research grants round if it includes any applications from members of his own research team.

Download the policy here