He is the former Head of the College of Life Sciences and co-founder of the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) alongside Sir Phillip Cohen.
Among his other discoveries are the identification of the mechanism of action for the drug lithium, which has since been used in the treatment of manic depression, and the breakthrough in finding the biochemical pathway that is the most common source of mutations leading to human cancers.
[4] In his capacity as Principal he has focused on fostering research links between academia and industry particularly in his own field of life sciences; his tenure has however seen financial challenges following Government cutbacks in funding.
[5] As former Convenor of Universities Scotland, Downes has spoken out against the UK's decision to exit the European Union citing the potential adverse effect on research funding and freedom of movement for staff and students.
[9] Following the end of his term at Dundee, Downes was appointed chairman of Dynamic Earth in March 2019, the geology-based visitor attraction in Holyrood, Edinburgh.