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Vice President
Drug Discovery
Dr. W. Blaine Knight was named Vice President of the Drug Discovery Division in January 2008. In this position, he plays a leadership role in expanding Southern Research's service offering to clients worldwide and strengthening its basic research capabilities.
For seven years prior to joining Southern Research, Dr. Knight served in a number of roles at GlaxoSmithKline including: Vice President of Non-Clinical Globalization Projects/Preclinical Development; Vice President of Strategic Alliances; Vice President of Screening Sciences; and, Vice President of Systems Research in the Discovery Research Directorate. In the latter two roles, he was responsible for leading more than 200 scientific staff members in the US, UK, Spain, Italy and Japan in comprehensive compound profiling and integrated lead discovery strategies. While at GSK, Dr. Knight was instrumental in placing several compounds into development, particularly in the oncology therapeutic area.
From 1995 - 2000, Dr. Knight served as Director of Molecular Biochemistry in the Biochemistry Division of Glaxo-Wellcome. He also held several positions with the Glaxo Research Institute/Glaxo, Inc. from 1992-1995, later becoming head of the Department of Biochemistry and Protein Engineering in the Division of Molecular Sciences. Prior to joining Glaxo, Dr. Knight held several positions from 1987-1992 at Merck/MSDRL, most recently the head of the Department of Enzymology.
He earned his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and his Doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland in College Park. He completed his post-doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Dr. Knight holds six patents, has authored or co-authored 53 scientific publications; and, as an invited speaker, has delivered 25 scientific presentations. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society of Biological Chemists and Molecular Biologists. He earned an American Heart Association Fellowship (Maryland Chapter) and a National Research Service Award from the Institute of General Medical Sciences.
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