Kirsty Smitten, an “exceptional” young scientist who studied in the Department of Chemistry before co-founding a spinout company developing a new class of antibiotics.
Due to the success of her PhD, during lockdown, Kirsty took part in the Innovate UK funded ICURe commercial accelerator program that helped her refine and validate the commercial potential of her work, and led to her taking up the position of CEO of MetalloBio Ltd, which she jointly founded with Prof Jim Thomas from the University of Sheffield.
Her groundbreaking work helped MetalloBio identify new antimicrobial compounds that could potentially be the first to enter the clinic for nearly 40 years and would be used to treat bacterial infections that have become resistant to currently used drugs. In her role as CEO she also brought in more than £2m of non-dilutive funds into the company.
Kirsty passed away in 2023 after battling a rare form of heart cancer aged just 29.
Professor Zoe Waller’s seminar focussed on her research in the field of DNA in Genes and like Kirsty, is a prominent woman in the scientific community.
Kirsty won multiple awards, both personally and for the company, including a Forbes Magazine 30 under 30 award for Science and Healthcare, a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship, an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award, and The UK Federation of Small Businesses Entrepreneur of the Year 2023.
Kirsty’s family and representatives from Innovate UK joined guests after the seminar to unveil a memorial plaque within the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences in Kirsty’s honour.