Ewan St. John Smith
Professor Ewan St. John Smith (Corpus Christi, 2003) is Professor of Nociception and Deputy Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Cambridge.
Ewan came up to Cambridge after a degree in Pharmacology at the University of Bath. Following his Cambridge PhD, focused on neuronal mechanisms of acid sensing, he moved to the Max-Delbrueck Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, spending 6 years researching the nervous system of the naked mole-rat. From there, he went to the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, before making his way back to Cambridge.
Ewan’s groundbreaking research at the Department of Pharmacology is largely focused on furthering our understanding of the molecular basis of pain. But don’t worry, he hasn’t forgotten about the weird biology of the naked mole-rat, which he hopes may provide insight into treating and preventing cancer and brain damage in humans.
Ewan is Corpus' first LGBT+ Champion, a role in which he helps facilitate anything LGBT+ related in Corpus, including flying the flag (literally and metaphorically), organising Pride lectures and dinners, and giving talks about being LGBT+ in STEM.
Of all his many illustrious achievements, one stands out for particular mention. Ewan is Custodian of the Corpus Chronophage Clock.