Dr. Robert Hawkins, PhD, FRCP

Founder & Non-Executive Director

Dr Hawkins is a leading expert in cancer immunotherapy, from 1998-2021 he was Cancer Research UK Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Manchester and Christie Hospital where his main clinical specialty was the treatment of metastatic renal cancer, and the development of cancer immunotherapy including the first CAR-T trials in the UK/EU. Robert is a recognised expert in pre-clinical and clinical development of antibodies, gene therapy, cell therapy and cancer immunotherapies.

Dr Hawkins founded Immetacyte Ltd, a cell therapy spinout from the University of Manchester in 2012. As CEO, he successfully guided the company to acquisition by Instil Bio Inc in March 2020. Following acquisition, he continued to act as head of Research and an advisor to Instil Bio.

Robert is non-executive director of Bivictrix and has prior experience of successful biotech development as a founding advisor to Cambridge Antibody Technology and Oxford Biomedica.