Lewis Wolpert is Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine in the
Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology of University College London.

His research interests are in the mechanisms involved in the development of the embryo.

He was originally trained as a civil engineer in South Africa but changed to research in cell biology at King's College London, in 1955.

He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1980 and awarded the CBE in 1990. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999. For five years he was Chairperson of the Committee for the Public Understanding of Science.

He has presented science on both radio and TV. His books include Malignant Sadness -The Anatomy of Depression (Faber, 1999.) ; Principles of Development (1992) (OUP), of which he is principal author; A Passion for Science and Passionate Minds with Alison Richards are interviews with scientists, ( OUP); The Unnatural Nature of Science ( Faber , 1992). He also writes a column for 'The Independent'.
He plays lots of tennis and is devoted to his mountain bike.