Martin Raff is a professor emeritus at the Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology at University College London. He received his medical training from McGill University and residency training at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, followed by a residency in the neurology program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Following his medical training, Raff moved to the U.K. in 1968 for postdoctoral work at the National Institute for Medical Research, followed by a move to University College London, where he stayed as a faculty member for the remainder of his active scientific career.

While starting his research career as a cellular immunologist, Raff has spent most of his distinguished scientific career making significant inroads into our understanding of cell biology and developmental neurobiology. His particular interests have focused on understanding the development of and roles played by glial cells. His laboratory’s insights into the development of this critical neural support cell have also furthered our understanding of how alterations in glial cells affect a variety of neurological diseases. Raff has also served as a coauthor on all six editions of the seminal cell biology textbook Molecular Biology of the Cell.

Raff has been the recipient of numerous research awards over the course of his academic career. In 2002, Raff retired from active research but has maintained a strong presence in the sciences, serving on multiple scientific advisory boards in both the U.S. and the U.K.