Professor Gonçalo Bernardes FRSC

My family is my strongest motivation along with working with very talented co-workers from different scientific and cultural backgrounds.

Making and breaking bonds, creating interactions and abolishing interactions are at the center of every biological process. Chemistry is central to biology, and I believe it is the greatest tool to decipher disease biology at the molecular level, which will then inform how to create next-generation therapeutics that are specific to diseased cells and not harmful to healthy cells.

Looking back on my life from primary school onwards as if it was a film; what I have achieved and where I go from now onwards. I was the first person in my family to study beyond the age of 10 years old and go for a degree. When I left High School, I knew I wanted a degree, but I could never imagine where it would lead: to being a Professor of Chemical Biology at Cambridge and to be ‘close’ to help/be part of creating potentially beneficial medicines to treat diseases such as cancer.

This prize recognises the contribution of many people in my research group, and those we collaborate with. I am lucky. I have a fantastic group of students and postdoctoral researchers, and this is a reward in recognition of their hard work in creating new molecular tools and learning how to use them to design the next generation of medicines. Having a group where the key goals are more important than individual objectives and where we all learn from each other are part of a culture I cultivate. An inclusive and diverse group in all aspects.