Meet our Trustee: Dr Samuel Godfrey
Sam joins Retina UK, bringing a blend of scientific expertise, strategic leadership, and communication experience gained from over a decade working at Cancer Research UK.
Sam is a former biochemist who now specialises in helping charities communicate the real impact of their science to the people who support them.
Currently at Cancer Research UK, one of the world’s largest charities, Sam leads the organisation’s science communication work. His team focuses on bringing complex research to life in an engaging, human way – helping supporters understand the difference their donations make and giving them the hope and inspiration that keeps them connected to the cause.
Alongside communication, Sam has experience across research funding and strategy, marketing and events, and previously led the charity’s strategic corporate partnerships function, where he brought in major corporate partners whose technical expertise and audiences helped accelerate the charity’s goals.
Before moving into the charity sector, Sam completed a PhD working on an innovative cancer treatments, followed by a post‑doctoral role at Imperial College London studying nerve damage. He also spent two years working for Pfizer in the drug discovery industry.
Sam lives in Canterbury, where he spends his best time with his wife and daughter – and somehow finds himself responsible for 10 pets (a dog, five chickens, and four guinea pigs).