Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Venue: Building 20, Auditorium
Reception: 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
KAUST is pleased to welcome Professor Sir Salvador Moncada, one of the world’s most influential biomedical scientists, for a Presidential Distinguished Lecture titled “The Joy of Discovery: My Life in Pharmacology.” The lecture will also mark the inauguration of KAUST’s Biomedical Sciences Division.
Sir Salvador is currently research domain director for cancer at the University of Manchester. His work has had a lasting impact on modern medicine and continues to shape how major diseases are understood and treated worldwide. His research portfolio includes foundational contributions to understanding the mechanism of action of aspirin-like drugs and the development of multiple therapeutic agents across epilepsy, malaria, migraine, and cancer.
He is widely recognized for discoveries that established nitric oxide as a fundamental biological signaling molecule and for defining its metabolism and role in human health.
About the speaker
Prior to his current role, Sir Salvador founded and directed the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at University College London and held senior research leadership positions in the United Kingdom. He was also research director of the Wellcome Research Laboratories, where medicines with worldwide use, including lamotrigine and zolmitriptan, were developed. Sir Salvador earned his Ph.D. from the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
Inauguration of the Biomedical Sciences Division
During the event, KAUST will celebrate the inauguration of its fourth academic division, Biomedical Sciences, and acknowledge Professor Peter Goadsby as its founding dean. Goadsby is an internationally recognized leader in neurological and clinical research and will lead the development of the division’s academic and research agenda.
The establishment of the Biomedical Sciences Division reflects KAUST’s ambition to strengthen research, education, and real-world impact in areas central to human health.
KAUST President Sir Edward Byrne AC encourages all members of the community to attend this important milestone for the University.