Professor Higgins continues the 430-year-old tradition of delivering free lectures at London’s oldest Higher Education Institution
Gresham College, London’s oldest Higher Education Institution, has this week announced the appointment of Matt Higgins as its 40th Professor of Physic.
The role of Professor of Physic dates back to Gresham College’s foundations, one of seven professorships set out in the will of its founder, Sir Thomas Gresham. The first was Matthew Gwinne, while the most recent have included Sir Chris Whitty and Professor Robin May.
Matt Higgins says: “I am very excited to have the chance to engage with the wonderful Gresham audiences and to tell some amazing stories about how modern medicine makes all of our lives so immeasurably better.”
Head of the Department of Biochemistry at Oxford University Professor Francis Barr says: "Matt is a wonderful colleague, and an exceptional researcher and educator. Matt’s intellectual curiosity and academic rigour in the field of biochemistry and its application to major problems in human health will be an inspiration to many, and I cannot imagine a better person for the Professor of Physic.”
Professor Higgins currently holds the EP Abraham Chair of Structural Biology at the University of Oxford, leading a research team investigating the molecular basis for critical host-parasite interactions and using this insight to design improved immunotherapeutics. In May 2025 he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and in July of the same year he was also elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
Professor Higgins will continue the 430-year-old tradition of delivering free lectures aimed at the public, both within the City of London and online. Last year, Gresham College lectures had more than seven million views.
Professor Jane Shaw, Provost of Gresham College, says: “I am delighted we have appointed Professor Higgins as Professor of Physic at Gresham College. This is one of our oldest and most prestigious Professorships, dating back to our foundation, and Professor Higgins will bring his learning, insights from his innovative research. enthusiasm and energy to the post.”
This is echoed by Richard Smith, CEO of Gresham College, who says: “I am thrilled to welcome such a talented communicator to the team at Gresham. Professor Higgins is a worthy successor to Professor Robin May and we look forward to his lecture series.”
