The Regius Professor Of Physic

Professor Patrick Maxwell is currently Professor of Medicine and Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at University College London.

He graduated from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 1983 with First Class Honours in Physiological Sciences and then did his clinical training at St Thomas’ Hospital where he won the Mead Medal in Medicine and the Cheselden Medal in Surgery.

The principal thrust of his research is in transcriptional control of genes by oxygen. He has worked on this for more than twenty years, initially in Oxford and then as Professor of Nephrology at Imperial College before moving to UCL in 2008.

The research programme has received substantial national and international recognition and has considerable potential for translation into new therapies for patients.

In 2003 with three other scientists he set up ReOx, an Oxford University spin-out company which ultimately aims to develop medicines from these discoveries.

Professor Maxwell is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Registrar of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Married with two sons and a daughter he cites his recreations as sailing and losing to his children at chess.

Sir Patrick Sissons, the current Regius Professor of Physic, said: “I am delighted to welcome Patrick Maxwell to Cambridge as my successor. He is a distinguished physician scientist, who I know is committed to maintaining the Clinical School’s international reputation for the highest quality translational clinical research, whilst promoting the School’s mission in undergraduate medical education and postgraduate training. His experience also makes him well placed to appreciate the special nature of the partnership between the University and the NHS in Cambridge, reflected in their working together as Cambridge University Health Partners, our Academic Health Science Centre.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, said: “I am delighted at this appointment.  As a former colleague of Patrick’s at Imperial College I know that he will bring a first-class mind to maintaining the brilliant profile of research and education at the Clinical School and building on the achievements of Patrick Sissons.”

The Regius Professor of Physic is Head of the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge and Director of Cambridge University Health Partners, the Academic Health Sciences Centre for Cambridge.

The Professorship was founded by King Henry VIII in 1540.

The other Regius Professorships at Cambridge are in Divinity, Hebrew, Greek and Civil Law (also founded in 1540), History (founded by George I in 1724), Botany (founded in 2009, to mark the University’s 800th anniversary) and Engineering (founded in 2011 to celebrate Prince Philip’s 34 years as Chancellor).