Professor James Chalmers to join the Radcliffe Department of Medicine
We are delighted to announce that Professor James Chalmers has been recruited to the statutory Rhodes Professorship of Experimental Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Oxford.
Professor Chalmers is currently GSK/Asthma and Lung UK Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Dundee.Professor Chalmers’ research is focused on experimental medicine in humans. He conducts clinical trials and translational research to understand airway disease and develop new therapies. During his 18-year stint at Dundee, he built a vibrant respiratory research community which has made key discoveries in acute and chronic lung infection, working closely with multiple international pharmaceutical companies.
Now, Professor Chalmers will expand that programme of work at the University of Oxford, based in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine (RDM). It is expected that he and members of his group will be able to start work in Oxford in 2026.
Head of RDM, Professor Keith Channon, said: ‘Professor Chalmers’ programme will be a real boost to the Radcliffe Department of Medicine and the University of Oxford – not just in respiratory medicine but more widely across inflammation and immunity science’.
Focus on inflammation and immunity
Professor Chalmers studies chronic lung inflammation. He is particularly interested in the interaction between neutrophils (white blood cells which defend against bacterial and fungal infections) and the microbiome.
His overall aim is to develop novel antibiotic and non-antibiotic approaches to treating lung disease. He uses an experimental medicine approach, building translational research into clinical trials and cohorts to study disease at bench and bedside.
His work has already been central to the development of a new generation of therapies targeting neutrophilic inflammation which have recently entered clinical use worldwide.
Clinical benefits
In tandem with his research, Professor Chalmers has been an Honorary Consultant Respiratory Physician at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where he ran a specialist clinic for patients with difficult respiratory infections, particularly bronchiectasis. He will now work as an Honorary Consultant within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH).
Dr William Flowers, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at OUH, said: ‘From a clinical perspective, bringing James and his group to Oxford has huge potential to transform access to research for people with bronchiectasis and to accelerate the translation of his recent work into further tangible benefits for patients across the respiratory medicine spectrum’.
Reflecting on his appointment and impending move to Oxford, Professor Chalmers said: ‘I am thrilled to take up the Rhodes chair and have the opportunity to pursue experimental medicine in such an outstanding academic environment. I am very grateful to my team in Dundee and the wider respiratory community for the incredible support which has allowed me to be in a position to have a major impact on clinical care. In Oxford I believe we will have the tools and the expertise to have a transformational effect on lung health in the future.’