Prof. Robert Weinberg Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, USA

Robert Weinberg is a founding member of the Whitehead Institute and a pioneer in cancer research most widely known for his discoveries of the first human oncogene – the ras oncogene that causes normal cells to form tumors - and the first tumor suppressor gene – the Rb gene. His lab now primarily focuses on two areas: the interactions between epithelial and stromal cells (the two major types of cells found in mammalian tissue) that produce carcinomas and the processes by which cancer cells invade and metastasize. In 2013 Prof Weinberg was awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his research on the genetic basis of human cancer.