Charlie is among 100 new members to join the Academy, which aims to address critical issues in health, science, medicine and related policy, and inspire positive actions across sectors. New members are individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of medical sciences, healthcare and public health. 

Charlie splits his time between research at the Crick and UCL and treating patients with lung cancer at UCLH. He is also Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK. 

He was chosen to join the now 2,500 Academy members for showing how evolutionary biology can be applied to cancer genomics, demonstrating that cancer evolution occurs across cancer types. Charlie has paved the way in showing how cancer evolution is shaped by genome instability, therapy and immunity, and how these insights can be converted into precision therapy. 

Finally, the Academy credited his work on how carcinogens drive cancer initiation independent of DNA mutations, through inflammatory pathways. Charlie said:

“I’m hugely grateful to my colleagues and collaborators at the Crick, UCL, CRUK and our funders for making this work possible. This recognition really belongs to them. Their creativity and drive to understand how cancers start and evolve make science an extraordinary adventure, and it’s a privilege to share that journey with them.”