Michelle Jones joined Astex in 2000. As Chief Operating Officer Michelle’s role involves, together with the CSO and CEO, strategic oversight and alignment of various business, finance and science functions within the company.

As part of the deal team for agreement negotiations, including alliances with major pharmaceutical companies such as MSD, Janssen and Novartis, she has significant experience of implementing R&D collaborations and IP license strategies. She has extensive experience of IP due diligence activities to support collaboration and licensing initiatives, external fund-raising and investment decisions as well as involvement in research collaboration agreement negotiations with academics.

Michelle is a European and Chartered (UK) Patent Attorney. Previously Michelle was Head of IP, managing a global patent portfolio protecting preclinical, clinical and marketed pharmaceutical compounds with experience in a wide range of areas of patent practice as well as freedom-to-operate. Michelle has been recognised in IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists, an annual list of individuals who lead the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximise the value of IP portfolios. She was also named a Managing IP Corporate IP Star, which recognises in-house practitioners for their contributions to the protection and management of their company’s IP assets and/or influence in the IP community.

She is Chair of the BioIndustry Association IP Advisory Committee, member of the CIPA Life Science Committee and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Michelle obtained a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from University of Cambridge and B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from University of Birmingham.