Philip gained his undergraduate degree at Leeds University prior to completing a Masters at Edinburgh University in Immunology. After working at Manchester University for several years in the areas of DNA damage and drug efflux he joined AstraZeneca in 2001 in the Cancer and Infection department, focusing on Oncology projects spanning the drug discovery timeline, from Hit Identification to Lead Optimisation and Candidate Drug nomination. During this time he was introduced to the world of automation. On formation of the Discovery Sciences department he has focused on cell assay development, profiling and mode of action studies, with particular interest in high content imaging. He is heavily involved in the use of automation in cellular assays, testing systems, driving usage and maintaining/developing systems. Plus planning the build of new automated systems to ‘future proof’ delivery for the next chapter of drug discovery on the AZ move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.