Christine Watson
About Christine Watson
Christine Watson is the Director of Drug Discovery at BenevolentAI in Cambridge, UK, with extensive experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.
Current Role at BenevolentAI
Christine Watson serves as the Director of Drug Discovery at BenevolentAI based in Cambridge, England. She commenced this role in March 2020. In her position, she leads oncology-focused drug discovery projects, managing the process from hit identification to Phase 1 clinical trials. Additionally, she provides expert oversight and strategic challenge across the entire company portfolio, ensuring robust and innovative drug discovery initiatives.
Previous Experience at Centauri Therapeutics
From 2015 to 2019, Christine Watson worked at Centauri Therapeutics as a Project Leader and Medicinal Chemist in Cambridge, UK. During her four-year tenure, she led multiple projects, leveraging her extensive experience in medicinal chemistry to drive the company’s drug discovery efforts. Her role involved significant leadership and technical contributions, advancing various medicinal chemistry initiatives.
Consulting and Career Break
In 2015, Christine Watson operated as a Medicinal Chemistry Consultant on a freelance basis for eight months. Prior to this, she took a three-year career break from 2011 to 2014. This period allowed her to explore new opportunities and refocus her career path in medicinal chemistry.
Long-term Role at Pfizer
Christine Watson served as Senior Principal Scientist: Medicinal Chemistry Design Lead at Pfizer for 12 years, from 1999 to 2011. In this role, she was instrumental in leading medicinal chemistry design projects, contributing significantly to Pfizer's drug discovery programs. Her extensive experience and leadership in the field of medicinal chemistry were pivotal to her accomplishments at Pfizer.
Education and Academic Background
Christine Watson completed her PhD in Organic Synthesis at the University of Cambridge from 1993 to 1997, following a BA in Natural Sciences from the same institution obtained in 1993. She then pursued a Post Doc at Columbia University in the City of New York, specializing in Solid Phase Synthesis from 1997 to 1999. Her academic background laid a strong foundation for her career in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.