James Larkin PhD, FRCP, FMedSci

Professor Larkin is a Medical Oncologist specialising in the treatment of cancers of the kidney and skin, including melanoma. He grew up in North Cornwall before taking a first in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University. He undertook clinical training in Oxford, qualifying in 1996. His general medical training was undertaken in London and in 2001, he won a Medical Research Council Research Fellowship for a Clinician, carrying out laboratory research leading to a PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research. His specialist training was completed at The Royal Marsden, where he was appointed as a Consultant in 2008.

His research is focused on trying to understand cancer and its consequences better, as well as developing improved treatments, particularly with targeted therapies and immunotherapies. He has been a Clarivate ‘Highly Cited Researcher’ every year since 2021 and is amongst the most highly cited researchers globally in both melanoma and kidney cancer.

In 2018, he was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and in 2020 as an NIHR Senior Investigator. In 2022, he was appointed to roles as Head of The Royal Marsden Skin Unit, Joint Training Programme Director for Medical Oncology, and Lead of the Cancer Immunotherapy Theme at The Royal Marsden / Institute of Cancer Research NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

Since 2024, he has hosted the educational podcast ‘Melanoma Matters’ with his US colleague Professor Sapna Patel, and in 2026, he will be Scientific Co-Chair of the Annual European Society of Medical Oncology meeting in Madrid. Professor Larkin serves as a medical advisor to the patient advocacy group Melanoma UK and as a Trustee of Action Kidney Cancer.