Fiona Marshall

Fiona Marshall is a prominent British pharmacologist currently serving as the President of Biomedical Research at Novartis, a position she has held since November 2022. Prior to this role, she was the Vice President and Head of Neuroscience at Merck & Co., where she also led the UK Discovery Research Center from April 2018 to September 2019.124

Educational Background

Fiona Marshall obtained her First Class degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bath in 1987 and later pursued her doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, focusing on neuroscience.12

Career Highlights

• Heptares Therapeutics: Marshall co-founded this biotech company, which specializes in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery. She served as Chief Scientific Officer until its acquisition by Sosei in 2015.12
• Merck & Co.: After joining in 2018, she advanced to become the Global Head of Neuroscience Discovery and later the Senior Vice President of Discovery, Preclinical & Translational Medicine Research.12
• Novartis: In her current role, she leads initiatives in biomedical research, focusing on innovative drug development.3

Awards and Honors

Marshall has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including:

• Fellow of the Royal Society (2021)
• Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2015)
• Woman of Outstanding Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (2012) from Women in Science and Engineering.12

Her contributions to pharmacology, particularly in GPCR drug discovery, have been widely recognized within the scientific community.