Today, October 1st 2024 marks the first day of the new term of Professor Alasdair Coles acting as Clinical Co-Director of Cambridge Neuroscience. He joins Professor Ewan St John Smith (Pharmacology), who is the current Biological Co-Director. Together with Strategic Manager, Dr Dervila Glynn, they are responsible for the overall governance and running of Cambridge Neuroscience.
Alasdair Coles is is Professor of Clinical Neuroimmunology and the Head of Department for Clinical Neurosciences. Alasdair takes over from Professor Paul Fletcher (Psychiatry), who was elected Co-Director in 2017. Paul has been a triumph for Cambridge Neuroscience and integral to the new vision and six new interdisciplinary themes that were launched in 2024. “Personally and professionally, it has been the honour of my career to work with Paul in this role…his kind and patient manner guiding us through some challenging times – both Cambridge Neuroscience (and I) benefited and learned from his thoughtful leadership – I look forward to continuing working on different projects with him….it is an exciting opportunity to welcome Alasdair into this position – he has always been such a proponent of Cambridge Neuroscience – the future is bright!” said Dervila.
Pictured L-R: Paul, Ewan, Dervila and Alasdair
Ewan commented “Working with Paul has been a real pleasure, someone who tackles problems with energy and enthusiasm, always finding the time to get stuck in. In my 2-years of working with Paul, I have learned an incredible amount. As sad as I am to see Paul stepping down, I am thrilled by the opportunity to work with Alasdair whose positivity and can-do attitude is highly contagious. Not to forget of course that whoever acts as Co-Directors of Cambridge Neuroscience, our Strategic Manager, Dervila, is the glue that holds our leadership and community together, enabling Cambridge Neuroscience to achieve everything that it does!”
Alasdair commented “I am absolutely delighted to be able to contribute to the next phase of Cambridge Neuroscience, an organisation that I have benefited from myself over the years. With Dervila’s incredible ability to gather us all together, Cambridge Neuroscience is a unique crucible of new ideas and collaborations. I am personally so grateful to Paul for all he has done to guide Cambridge Neuroscience through the pandemic, and into its new structure.”
Paul commented “It has been one of the real privileges and pleasures of my career to have worked with Dervila and Ewan, as well as Ole and Zoe (indeed, the fact that I have outlasted a succession of co-directors is strongly suggestive that I may have been perilously close to outstaying my welcome). In particular, I have been inspired by Dervila’s endless patience, energy and resilience and by her absolute commitment to linking people and teams across the Cambridge Neuroscience community and ensuring that, despite the size of this community, and the enormous variety of its approaches, disciplines and interests that it encompasses, there is a real sense of inter-connectedness. The importance of this – and the remarkable skills and energy needed to achieve it – should not be under-played I know that Alasdair will be great as he steps into the role of clinical co-director and he is fortunate in having two wonderful colleagues in Ewan and Dervila.”
Pictures taken at the Cambridge Neuroscience Garden Party in September 2024.
Posted on 01/10/2024
