Professor David Latchman CBE

Professor David Latchman is Vice-Chancellor (CEO) and Professor of Genetics at Birkbeck University of London, a post he has held since 2003. Prior to this he was Dean of the Institute of Child Health at University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

He is Chairman and Trustee of the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, Trustee of the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Philanthropic Foundation and a member of the Protector Committee of the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Charitable Foundation. He is also a Board member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Centre (JDC). He founded a company BioVex Ltd which was ultimately sold to Amgen Ltd. Its anti-cancer virus therapy has received FDA approval for marketing in the USA.


Professor Latchman holds BA, MA and PhD degrees from Cambridge University and was awarded a DSc by London University. He was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday’s Honours of 2010 for services to Higher Education.

He is a keen collector of Anglo-Judaica and has published two books on his collection: “The United Synagogue: 150 years of service“ and “Ten Chief Rabbis".