Peter Kirkpatrick is the chief editor of Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, where he has been an editor since the journal's launch in 2001, becoming the chief editor in 2004. Previously he gained a PhD for studies on the biosynthesis and mode of action of vancomycin group antibiotics at the Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, UK. He is interested in all aspects of the drug discovery process, and in facilitating interactions between the disciplines involved, as well as between academia and industry.