ELRIG has appointed Dr Kelly Gray and Dr Elaine Duncan to its board, bringing extensive expertise to lead scientific programmes and early career initiatives.
ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation dedicated to the global drug discovery community, has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Dr Kelly Gray and Dr Elaine Duncan to its board. Both appointments bring extensive expertise to the organisation and aim to ensure continuity of leadership and sustained momentum across ELRIG’s scientific programmes and early career initiatives.
Serving a global network of more than 22,000 life science professionals from biopharma, biotech, contract research organisations, academia and industry vendors, ELRIG remains committed to its role as a community-driven platform that supports life science research and collaboration. Its work groups, led by field experts and guided by the board, focus on initiatives such as early career support, science programming and strategy. Dr Gray succeeds Dr Saleha Patel as Scientific Programme Work Group Leader, while Dr Duncan follows Dr Mark Soave as Early Career Professionals (ECP) Work Group Leader.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr Saleha Patel and Dr Mark Soave for their exceptional contributions in leading our scientific programmes and early career initiatives,” said Dr Del Trezise, Chair of ELRIG. “Their leadership and dedication has been instrumental in shaping our success.”
(Left) Dr Elaine Duncan, Board Member, ELRIG, and Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Glasgow. (Right) Dr Kelly Gray, Board Member, ELRIG, and Senior Alliances Manager, Ignota Labs.[/caption] Driving scientific programmes
Dr Gray is an innovation leader with more than 20 years of experience in life sciences research. She earned her PhD and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. Over the years, she has led Open Innovation programmes, including the Innovative Health Initiative portfolio at AstraZeneca, where she built high-impact global collaborations.
Dr Gray is an innovation leader with more than 20 years of experience in life sciences research.
A passionate advocate for sustainable and open science, Dr Gray has served on the ELRIG General Committee since 2023 promoting collaborative approaches to advance the life sciences. In her new role, she will help develop and deliver a strategic high-quality annual programme of scientific conferences for the ELRIG community by identifying priority scientific themes, shaping event formats, recruiting expert leadership and ensuring impactful national and international reach.
“I am delighted to be joining the ELRIG board and to chair the Scientific Programme Work Group,” Dr Gray said. “ELRIG plays a vital role in bringing together the drug discovery community and I look forward to helping shape high-quality, forward-thinking scientific programmes that foster collaboration, showcase innovation and support the next generation of researchers.”
Supporting early career talent
Dr Duncan recently completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow where she is currently a postdoctoral researcher investigating G protein-coupled receptors in metabolic disease. She previously worked at Charles River Laboratories and is a committed STEM ambassador creating award-winning public engagement initiatives.
Dr Duncan recently completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow where she is currently a postdoctoral researcher investigating G protein-coupled receptors in metabolic disease.
Dr Duncan has been a long-time supporter of ELRIG, serving on the General Committee and Engagement Strategy Work Group and leading the Adventures for Tomorrow’s Scientists outreach project. She also received the Kirsty Smitten award in 2020. In her new role she will focus on increasing engagement and participation of early-stage professionals across the ELRIG network through targeted strategies, activities and communications.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the ELRIG board as chair of the Early Career Professionals Work Group,” Dr Duncan said. “The ECP initiatives at ELRIG have been so influential in my own career and I am delighted to be able to continue and expand these programmes for future generations of drug discovery scientists.”
Looking ahead
With Dr Gray and Dr Duncan joining the board, ELRIG will continue fostering collaboration, advancing scientific innovation and supporting the next generation of drug discovery professionals. Their combined expertise ensures that the organisation will maintain its momentum while adapting to the evolving needs of the global life science community.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kelly and Elaine to the ELRIG Board. Their wealth of experience and passion for advancing scientific innovation will be invaluable as we continue to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the global drug discovery community,” said Dr Trezise.
