About us
Pharmacology is the science concerned with the study of drugs and how they work to combat disease, as well as the search for new drugs. It brings together several biomedical sciences including physiology, biochemistry and toxicology. There are also close links with medicine and pharmacy.
The Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at King’s is part of the School of Biomedical Sciences, based at Guy’s Campus. We offer a leading undergraduate single-honours BSc degree programme in Pharmacology as well as contributing to a joint-honours BSc degree programme in Pharmacology & Molecular Genetics.
Ours is one of the largest and highly-rated pharmacology groups in the UK and is dedicated to providing an excellent learning experience for both our undergraduate and postgraduate students. Members of the Department also have an excellent reputation for their research. These international researchers contribute to the teaching programmes and take research project students from the Pharmacology BSc degree programmes into their laboratories to learn practical skills.
With over 20 academic staff, our faculty includes world-renowned experts in a variety of research fields including neurodegenerative disease, asthma and other inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease and cell signalling. As one of the largest departments in the UK, our facilities are excellent we are continuing a strong tradition of excellence in research-led teaching. Scientists from the pharmaceutical industry teach on some courses, giving an inside view of work in drug discovery and development outside universities.
In 2011, the National Student Survey published results showing King's College London rated joint first nationally for student satisfaction in the fields of pharmacy, pharmacology and toxicology. With an overall satisfaction rate of 97%, the survey put King's above all other Russell Group institutions in these subject areas.
Professor Sue Brain, Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, was awarded the AstraZeneca prize for Women in Pharmacology in 2011 by the British Pharmacological Society. The prize recognised Professor Brain's significant contribution to the understanding of a particular field through excellence in research.
Also in 2011, Dr ian McFadzean, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, won the Teaching Excellence Award for the School of Biomedical Sciences for the second year running. At the King's Awards in September Dr Julie Keeble was presented with the Outreach and Widening Participation Award.
In 2009, Dr Aileen King won the British Pharmacological Society’s Integrative Pharmacology Fellow Prize for her excellent contribution to teaching. Several members of staff hold senior positions within the British Pharmacological Society.
We maintain close links with the pharmaceutical industry, which supports our extramural year programme and informs the curricula on our Pharmacology and Pharmacology & Molecular Genetics BSc programmes.