Professor Christopher Lowe OBE FREng is Emeritus Professor of Biotechnology in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and Director of the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. He is also Director of the Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences. His principal research interests cover areas of healthcare biotechnology including biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics and sensors, ageing and medical microbiology. The work is characterised by not only being highly inter- and multidisciplinary and encompassing aspects of biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, electrochemistry, physics, electronics, medicine and chemical engineering, but also covering the entire range from pure science to strategic applied science, much of which has significant commercial applications. Professor Lowe has been the driving force for the establishment of 10 spin-out companies, and has been awarded several national and international prizes and distinctions.