Dame Kay Davies is a geneticist known internationally for her work on neuromuscular and neurological disorders, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and spinal muscular atrophy.
Born in England in 1951, Dame Kay received her PhD at the University of Oxford. Throughout her career she has led or been a part of a number of discoveries, including effective screening and treatment options for DMD.
Dame Kay is involved with a number of research organisations, including as a director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) functional genetics unit, a director of the Oxford Centre for Gene Function, and a patron and senior member of the Oxford University Scientific Society.
Throughout her career Dame Kay has published more than 400 papers. She is a founding fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society. She has also won numerous major awards and honours, including being named a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2008, receiving the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, and receiving a Doctor of Science honoris causa from UQ In 2016.