Dr Joe de Sousa is Senior Leader, Non-Executive Director and Consultant at Melhor Consulting.

Joe has over 25 years’ experience in line, project and scientific leadership positions across Pharmaceutical R&D.

Prior to his role as an independent consultant and founder of Melhor, Joe was Director of Science & Technology, Global Product Development at AstraZeneca where he set the culture and shaped the research activities of scientists across UK, US, Sweden and China focused on design and delivery of AstraZeneca’s current and future medicines and managed an extensive portfolio of science and technology projects that ensured AstraZeneca’s R&D capability maintained its world class status for innovation and excellence. Previous roles range across all phases of pharmaceutical R&D from pre-clinical all the way through clinical development, regulatory approval and new product launch.

Joe’s current portfolio extends across the Public Sector, Private Sector, Leading Universities and the Charity Sector. Some current responsibilities include Council Member at the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (ukri.org/councils/epsrc),  Trustee at the British Science Association (britishscienceassociation.org) and Mentor at the Royal Society of Chemistry (rsc.org).

Joe completed a DPhil at University of Oxford in synthetic organic chemistry under the supervision of Professor Steve Davies after obtaining a Bachelors degree in Chemistry at University of York. He grew up in Manchester somewhat confused by the often disparate culture of his heritage (mother from Bournemouth and father from Lisbon) and the gritty northern surroundings of his childhood. This somewhat unusual mix along with his time in Yorkshire, Oxford and a brief interlude in Essex enable him to feel both an outsider and at home in so many different places.

About Joe de Sousa on the University of Cambridge R&D Management Conference site.