Executive Team
Wen Hwa Lee, PhD
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientist
Lee is a molecular and structural biologist with a wide international network in drug discovery, including charities, academia, industry and government agencies. Previously at the University of Oxford, Lee is an experienced leader in setting up partnerships and alliances with multiple stakeholders to accelerate discoveries for drug discovery. He designed and implemented several strategies in two of the largest and most successful international public-private partnerships for drug discovery – the Structural Genomics Consortium and the European Lead Factory. Along with his scientific endeavours, Lee also advised high-level government representatives from different countries and charitable institutions on policy and strategy to integrate scientific, societal and economic impact.
Joanna Zapisek
Head of Operations​
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Joanna has been responsible for effective and efficient day-to-day operation of research groups, providing support for the strategic direction, Communication and Networking, Personnel support, and top-level project administration at the University of Oxford for the past 10 years. Working for several Oxford Departments, she managed the administration of extensive research programmes supported by UK charities, UK Research Councils, European Commission, and Industry (from spinouts to multinationals) – from the initial tendering phase to final reports and audits. Most recently she managed the project portfolios for Profs Philip Torr (Turing AI World Leading Fellow - Vision and Machine Learning group) and Matthew Wood (Deputy Head of Oxford’s Medical Sciences Division - RNA Biology and Neuromuscular Disease research lab).
Jesse Coker, PhD
Science and Strategy Consultant
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After obtaining a B.S. in biochemistry and a B.A. in economics at the University of Oklahoma, Jesse completed his PhD in the Structural Genomics Consortium at the University of Oxford in August 2021. Jesse has nearly a decade of pre-clinical drug discovery experience across structural, chemical, molecular, and cellular biology. Jesse has worked alongside the AAAMD team as a Science and Strategy Consultant since August 2019.
Ellie Williams, PhD
Community Engagement Coordinator
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Ellie Williams is a biochemist by training studying first at the University of Oxford and then gaining her PhD from UCL. She then spent 10 years working in the field of rare diseases and open access drug discovery. As part of that she dedicated time to focusing on public engagement and patient communication and as part of this has worked with patient charities, art groups and schools to communicate cutting edge research. Ellie started working with AAAMD in May 2020.
Benedict Kelly
Independent Adviser
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Benedict was a founder member of the AAAMD team in 2016. He was Chief Operating Officer from September 2017 to June 2022 and is now an Independent Consultant for AAAMD. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and has 30 years’ experience in the banking and investment sector, with Rothschild Bank and VenCap International. In 2014 he started a part time role as a Service Provider at the Charity Bank and then in 2023 became a volunteer in securing new business. Since December 2021 Benedict has been an active Member of Green Angel Ventures; focussing on delivering specialist angel investment for the innovations needed to fight climate change.