Ray Hewer is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Head of the Discipline of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Genetics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

He is a Principal Investigator of HD46, a targeted protein degradation platform focused on PROTAC technology and therapeutic development. His research interests are centred on preclinical drug discovery, with over 20 years of experience in small-molecule development targeting disease-relevant proteins in both infectious and non-communicable diseases.

In collaboration with industry partners, he leads a multidisciplinary research group currently developing targeted protein degraders for applications in obesity and other metabolic disorders of significant relevance to South Africa. Prof Hewer holds an C3 NRF Rating and has been a long-standing member of the SASBMB.