· Strengthens leadership team to support next phase of growth as organisation evolves to meet needs of global drug discovery community
· Drs Gray and Duncan to lead scientific programmes and early career initiatives, respectively
ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation dedicated to the global drug discovery community, has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Drs Kelly Gray and Elaine Duncan to its Board. These new members bring extensive experience that will help to ensure continuity of leadership, fresh perspectives, and sustained momentum across ELRIG’s scientific programmes and early career initiatives as the organisation grows to meet the needs of the life science community.
ELRIG remains committed to its role as a community-driven organisation, supporting life science research and collaboration to help drive developments that positively impact the future of drug discovery. The organisation serves a global network of over 22,000 life science professionals from biopharma, biotech, contract research organisations (CROs), academia, and industry vendors. ELRIG’s work groups, led by field experts and guided by the Board, focus on key initiatives such as early career support, science programming and strategy. Dr Gray follows Dr Saleha Patel as Scientific Programme Work Group Leader, and Dr Duncan succeeds Dr Mark Soave as Early Career Professionals (ECP) Work Group Leader.
Kelly Gray is an innovation leader, with over two decades of experience in life sciences research. Her academic foundation includes a PhD and postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. She has led Open Innovation programmes, including the Innovative Health Initiative portfolio at AstraZeneca, where she thrived in building high-impact global collaborations. A passionate advocate for sustainable, open science, Dr Gray has served on the ELRIG General Committee since 2023, championing bold, collaborative approaches, that shape the future of life sciences. She will help to 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 speakers, and ensuring impactful national and international reach.
Elaine Duncan recently completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow where she is currently a postdoctoral researcher investigating the role of G protein-coupled receptors in metabolic disease. Dr Duncan also worked at Charles River Laboratories and is a committed STEM ambassador, who has created award-winning public engagement initiatives. She has been a long-time supporter of ELRIG as a member of the General Committee, Engagement Strategy Work Group and leading the Adventures for Tomorrow’s Scientists outreach project. She was also the recipient of the Kirsty Smitten (formerly ECP Impact) award in 2020. In her new role, she will help to drive increased engagement and participation of early-stage professionals across the ELRIG network by developing and delivering targeted strategies, activities and communications.
Dr Del Trezise, Chair of ELRIG, said: “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. 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. Their leadership and dedication has been instrumental in shaping our success.”
Dr Kelly Gray, Board Member, ELRIG, and Senior Alliances Manager, Ignota Labs, added: “I am delighted to be joining the ELRIG Board and to chair the Scientific Programme Work Group. 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.”
Dr Elaine Duncan, Board Member, ELRIG, and Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Glasgow, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the ELRIG board as chair of the Early Career Professionals Work Group. 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.”
For more information about the ELRIG team, visit: https://elrig.org/the-team/
