Dame Melanie Joanne Welham DBE (born 1964) is a British biochemist who was Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council from April 2018 to June 2023.

She was previously a professor of biochemistry at the University of Bath, where she worked on stem cell biology.

[1] Welham joined the University of Bath as a lecturer in 1995, where she worked on molecular signalling and stem cell science.

[3] Welham joined Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) on secondment in 2012.

[4][5] She served as Executive Champion for People, Culture and Talent at UK Research and Innovation.