Professor Derek Richard is the Scientific Director of the Cancer & Ageing Research Program at QUT. Prof Richard gained his PhD in 1999 at the University of Dundee in Scotland. His research interests lie in how proteins function with DNA to maintain genetic stability.  His research has covered all three domains of life as well as viruses. His team seek to understand how mutations occur and how these mutations link to the ageing process and diseases associated with ageing. Prof Richard takes this knowledge and utilises it to develop novel therapeutics.  His work has resulted in two spin out companies and in 2020 will initiate two first in human clinical trials of drugs developed by his team at QUT.