Lawrence Banks PhD

Lawrence Banks received his Degree in Science in 1981 and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Leeds University, the UK in 1984. His term as Director-General of the ICGEB commenced on 1 July 2019. Scientific Coordinator of the ICGEB from 2016 – June 2019 he has been Group Leader of the Tumour Virology Laboratory at ICGEB Trieste, Italy since 1990. From 1988-1990 he was an independent Research Scientist at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in London, UK, and from 1984-1988, Post-doctoral Fellow at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London, UK.

He is an Editor of the Journal of Virology, FEBS Journal, Papillomavirus Research, PLoS One, Frontiers Cellular Infection and Microbiology and is on the Editorial Boards of Antiviral Therapy, Virus Research, and Biological Chemistry. Since 2017 he has been running Awareness Workshops in Academic Institutions across the ICGEB constituency and has organized over 15 major international workshops on Human Papillomavirus, Molecular Biology of Leishmania, and DNA Tumor Viruses.

He has served on Grant Review and Ph.D. Examination Committees of numerous scientific organizations in Italy and abroad, including the Human Frontiers Science Program, DKFZ, and WHO IARC, and is a Research Degree Coordinator in Italy for the Open University UK. His current research interest focuses on Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs), the causative agents of a number of human tumors, including cervical cancer, which is a major cause of cancer-related death in women in many parts of the developing world. During his mandate, he will focus on continuing to drive the Organisation’s transparent managerial structure, expanding interaction in the biotech sector in the ICGEB Member States, advancing scientific research of the laboratories in Trieste, New Delhi, and Cape Town, and contributing to the advanced education of young scientists to promote science and technology-intensive solutions to improve the quality of life.