Douglas Ross-Thriepland is Head of Laboratory for the new Joint AZ-CRUK Functional Genomics Centre in Cambridge. This exciting collaboration between AstraZeneca and Cancer Research UK aims to forge a world-leading centre of expertise in genetic screens, cancer models and CRISPR vector design. Completing his degree in Biochemistry from the University of Nottingham and working for Astex Therapeutics in fragment-based drug discovery for 3 years, he returned to academia and completed his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Leeds for work on Hepatitis C. He joined AstraZeneca in 2014 and has since been driving forward the application of Functional Genomics screening for Target Discovery.