Roger Davis is a biochemist who is renowned for his work towards deepening our knowledge of protein kinase cascades — chains of biochemical events involved in the response of cells to environmental stresses and inflammatory agents. His research has greatly improved our understanding of the processes involved in cell growth and inflammation.

Protein kinases control the progression of biochemical chain reactions by phosphorylating other proteins. Roger has made several key discoveries in relation to these enzymes, including uncovering the different forms of a kinase known as c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and its role in processes such as embryonic development and cell death.

Currently, Roger is an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Here, his laboratory is exploring the use of drugs to manipulate protein kinase signalling pathways for the treatment of human diseases, including arthritis, cancer and diabetes. He is a member of EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization, and is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.