Guy Salvesen is a South African-born biochemist, best known for his work in the field of apoptosis.
His research focuses on proteases and their inhibitors in humans, with particular emphasis on the caspases of the apoptotic cell death pathway.
His PhD in biochemistry is from the University of Cambridge, studying under Alan Barrett (1981).
He joined the faculty of Duke University in 1987, and moved his laboratory to the Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research, La Jolla, California in 1996.
As of 2007, Salvesen is the Program Director in Apoptosis and Cell Death Research at the Sanford-Burnham Institute.