João Pedro de Magalhães is a leading scientist specialising in genetics and ageing, a futurist and entrepreneur, best known as the Chair of Molecular Biogerontology at the University of Birmingham. Outside of academia, he is also the Founder of Magellan Science and Oxford Cyrotechnology. Drawing from his academic and practical scientific experience, João shares valuable expertise in biotechnology, futurism and AI.
With an extensive academic background, João holds a degree in Microbiology, a PhD in Biological Sciences and has completed postdoctoral training in genetics at Harvard Medical School. Because of his strong research and expertise, he was recruited by the University of Liverpool to become a lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, where he worked his way up to Professor at the Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease. Alongside his teaching role, João served as an advisor and consultant to many biotech companies and investment funds, including Centaura, Insilico Medicine and Longevity Vision Fund. In 2019, he founded Magellan Science, which provides consulting services in ageing science, longevity biotech and future technological trends. Continuing his academic work, the University of Birmingham appointed João as Chair of Molecular Biogerontology, where he leads the Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab. In recent years, he also founded the AI-guided company Oxford Cyrotechnology, became Chief Scientific Officer at the pharmaceutical firm YouthBio Therapeutics and is a Visiting Academic at University College London.
Well-recognised for his scientific research, João has been featured in leading scientific publications such as New Scientist and Scientific American, and has written over 100 articles for publications, including The Futurist, Clarkesworld and The Independent. He has also made regular media appearances for the BBC, the New York Times and CNN. Receiving multiple awards for his work, João was presented with the prestigious Adolphe Wetrems Prize by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 2025.
A highly sought-after speaker, João has delivered more than 200 talks at global conferences and organisations, including Ignite Liverpool, Google’s Calico and Meet the Scientists events at the World Museum. He is also a regular TEDx speaker whose TED-Ed lesson has received over 5 million views. Hire influential science speaker João Pedro de Magalhães today via Champions Speakers.
- 2026 - Visiting Academic at UCL
- 2025 - Scientific Advisor at The Thalion Initiative
- 2025 - Awarded Adolphe Wetrems Prize from Royal Academy of Belgium
- 2024 - Advisory Board Member at Five Alarm Bio Limited
- 2023 - Scientific Advisor at 199 Biotechnologies
- 2023 - Founder of Oxford Cryotechnology
- 2022 - Chief Scientific Officer at YouthBio Therapeutics Inc
- 2022 - Chair of Molecular Biogerontology at University of Birmingham
- 2022 - Visiting Scholar at University of Oxford
- 2020 - Chief Scientific Officer at Centaura
- 2020 - Advisory Board Member at NOVOS
- 2019 - Founder of Magellan Science Ltd
- 2019 - Professor at Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease of University of Liverpool
- 2015 - Affiliate Principal Investigator at Universidade de Coimbra
- 2008 - Lecturer at University of Liverpool
- 2008 - Completed postdoctoral training in Genetics at Harvard Medical School
- 2004 - Gained PhD in Biological Sciences from Universite de Namur
- 1999 - Finished degree in Microbiology at Universidade Católica Portuguesa
How to hire João Pedro de Magalhães
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring João Pedro de Magalhães for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
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