Our Scientific Advisors provide Alzheimer’s Research UK with research and clinical expertise, helping to drive forward our research and policy programmes.
Our Scientific Advisory Board works to ensure that donations from our dedicated supporters support high-quality research that delivers the most progress towards reducing the impact of dementia, and transforms the lives of the millions of people affected by this devastating condition.

Prof James Rowe
Prof James Rowe has joined Alzheimer’s Research UK in 2021 as the Chair of our Scientific Advisory Board.
James leads a team of experts who guide our Research Strategy and help to ensure our research programmes have the greatest possible impact.
James is Professor of Cognitive Neurology at the University of Cambridge and a practising consultant neurologist. His research focuses on understanding the biological and cognitive mechanisms of different forms of dementia, using this as the basis for new experimental medicine.
He is an active consultant neurologist, leading regional specialist clinics for patients with early dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and other ‘tauopathies’, and he is a consultant in the Cambridge Memory Clinic.

Prof Jonathan Schott
Prof Jonathan (Jon) Schott joined Alzheimer’s Research UK in November 2019, as our Chief Medical Officer.
As our Chief Medical Officer, Jon is a member of the ARUK Scientific Advisory Board, providing the organisation with clinical expertise and advice to help drive forward our research priorities, as well as being an important Ambassador for dementia research.
Jon brings a wealth of clinical knowledge to this role.
He is Professor of Neurology at the Dementia Research Centre, UCL where he leads on a number of clinical research projects, with one being Insight 46 – a major Alzheimer’s Research UK funded neuroimaging study of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development British 1946 Birth Cohort. He has published over 240 papers in the field of dementia and ageing.
Jon is also an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square where he runs a busy cognitive disorders service with a particular emphasis on young onset and unusual dementias.
We are delighted to have Jon on the team.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Board
- Prof Yoav Ben-Shlomo (University of Bristol)
- Robert Comley (AbbVie)
- Shirley Cramer CBE (Former Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Public Health)
- Prof Rob Howard (University College London)
- Prof Clare Mackay (University of Oxford)
- Prof Jennifer Manly (Columbia University)
- Dr Ruth McKernan CBE (SV Health Investors)
- Prof James Rowe (University of Cambridge)
- Prof Jonathan Schott (University College London)
- Prof Tara Spires-Jones (The University of Edinburgh)
- Prof Julie Williams (Cardiff University)