Dr. Robert Foster, Senior Scientist

Name: Robert Foster

Job Title: Senior Scientist

Hello, I’m Rob and I joined Lhasa in 2016 as a Scientist.

I previously studied chemistry at the University of Sheffield, spending one year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, before remaining in Sheffield to undertake a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry. My project researched the use of mesoionic compounds in routes towards novel fluorine containing pyrazoles, and as it was sponsored by Bayer AG Crop Science I was fortunate to gain on-site experience within the agrochemical industry. After finishing my PhD in 2012, I continued in the lab with a small contract research organisation (now Apex Molecular Ltd), undertaking various custom and contract synthesis projects for pharmaceutical, agrochemical and biotech companies.

Although I enjoyed the challenge of chemical synthesis, I have always been frustrated by the considerable amount of wasted resources used across the chemical industries such as in drug discovery projects. Therefore, Lhasa presented an interesting opportunity to leave the lab and use my previously gained chemical knowledge in a new working environment as in silico software can be part of the solution to improve efficiency across the industries. After working on Meteor and Zeneth for my first projects, I moved onto developing alerts for multiple toxicity endpoints in Derek and writing AOPs for carcinogenicity in Kaptis. Since 2020 I have predominantly focused on the development of genotoxicity solutions at Lhasa and am currently the lead scientist for Sarah and our ICH M7 solution. I continue to be excited learning about new aspects of toxicology and working for a company that values collaborative work with both colleagues and contact directly with our members.

Outside of Lhasa I like to make the most of what Sheffield and the Peak District offers better than anywhere else in the country – miles of beautiful routes to run and cycle, and hundreds of crags to climb.