Robert Clarke

Clarke studied at Regent House School and received his bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of Ulster in 1980. He then enrolled at Queen's University of Belfast and earned a master's degree in 1982 and a PhD in 1986 (each in biochemistry). He completed his postdoctoral training at the Medical Breast Section of the National Cancer Institute in 1988.

Following his postdoctoral training at National Institutes of Health, Clarke joined Georgetown University School of Medicine as an assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, and was promoted to associate professor of oncology with tenure in 1995, and to professor in 1999. While joining University of Minnesota in 2020, he retains an appointment at Georgetown University as an adjunct professor of oncology. Since 2020, he is a tenured professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics at University of Minnesota.

Clarke also held several administrative appointments in his career. He served as secretary/treasurer of the Georgetown University Faculty Senate from 2004 until 2007, as associate vice president of Georgetown University Medical Center and director of Biomedical Graduate Research Organization at Georgetown University Medical Center from 2007 till 2019, as co-leader of Breast Cancer Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center 2006 through 2020, and as dean for research 2011 until 2019 at Georgetown University Medical Center. Since 2020, Clarke serves as executive director of Hormel Institute and member of the executive committee of Masonic Cancer Center at University of Minnesota.