Welcome to our new Deputy Director of Research

We're excited to announce that Professor David Dexter has joined us as our new Deputy Director of Research.

David previously was Professor of Neuropharmacology at Imperial College, where one of his roles was Scientific Director at the Parkinson’s UK Brain Bank, the UK's largest supplier of brain tissue for research dedicated to Parkinson's.

A career in research

David has had a long-term interaction with the charity, which started with a Parkinson's funded PhD.

He established his own research group at Imperial in 1994, where he and his team made lots of important discoveries.

In his new role, David will utilise his 32 years of experience in Parkinson's research to oversee Parkinson's UK's funding of research grants, which investigate the causes of Parkinson's and aim to unlock discoveries that will lead to better treatments, and ultimately a cure.

He will also lead a new cohort strategy to consider the benefit and duration of long-term research studies into Parkinson's, ensuring the most effective use of funding.

In his own words

David has dedicated his life to research and says:

"When I started my PhD, amazingly very little was known about what was causing the neurons to die in Parkinson's. My research sparked a new wave of discovery, which showed for the first time that brain cell loss in Parkinson's is linked to the build-up of iron inside the brain.

"As a scientist, you dream of seeing your research make a difference to people's lives.

"I've been excited to see Parkinson's UK develop a clear strategy to develop new and better treatments and it feels like the perfect time to bring my experience to help deliver the novel drugs and therapies I've spent my whole career striving for."

A warm welcome

Parkinson's UK Chief Executive Steve Ford said:

"We're absolutely delighted that David is coming on board. We look forward to his expert input and leadership on our most important scientific priorities as we double our research funding."