Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Dr Robert A Watson

Dr Robert A Watson

Social media

Robert A Watson

BA(Hons) BM BCh PGDip DPhil MRCP(UK)


Academic Clinical Lecturer

  • Clinical Lecturer | Department of Oncology and MRC WIMM
  • Specialist Registrar in Medical Oncology | OUH NHS Foundation Trust
  • Fellow & Director of Graduate Entry Medicine | Worcester College

I am a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Oncology, spending half my time conducting post-doctoral research and the other half as a clinical doctor, completing higher specialty training in medical oncology.

I completed a Wellcome Trust-funded DPhil in the Fairfax Lab in August 2023 and continue to work with Prof. Ben Fairfax and other colleagues across Oxford Cancer to understand T cell responses following immune treatments for cancer. I use a variety of techniques including single cell transcriptomics and analysis of T cell repertoires to draw novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of immune checkpoint blockade and other experimental immunotherapies. I primarily work with human tissue and aim to translate research findings into patient-focussed interventions. 

My current post is funded by CRIS, a Spanish cancer research charity, and prior to this I was awarded a CRUK pre-doctoral bursary, which allowed me to generate preliminary data to apply to the Wellcome Trust for my Doctoral Fellowship.

Additionally, I am a Fellow and Director of Graduate Entry Medicine at Worcester College. I organise the College teaching for the medical students on the accelerated medicine course (i.e. those graduates who have done other degrees and now want to study medicine) and also teach the clinical medical students at Worcester.

Prior to my DPhil, I studied medicine at Oxford before undertaking clinical training in North West London and some research at Imperial College London. Additionally, I’m interested in Healthcare Policy and spent some time as a researcher at The Nuffield Trust think tank. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic I went on Secondment to the Medical Resarch Council, working on the Due Diligence team for the UK Covid Therapeutics Advisory Panel, the UK Government's independent advisory panel. UK-CTAP was responsible for recommending drugs to England's Chief Medical Officer for inclusion into pubilcly-funded Covid-19 trials in the UK. This experience gave me great insights and experience into clinical trial design, drug development and some of the practicalities and processes of developing new therapeutics at scale.

https://www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/robert-watson-awarded-acp-mcelwain-and-presidents-prize

https://www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/successful-cruk-research-bursary-for-mrc-wimm-clinical-fellow