Biography
Having begun my career at what was then Napier College of Commerce and Technology, then became Napier Polytechnic, I graduated in 1991 with an honours degree in Biological Sciences. This fostered an interest/obsession in the research field of reproduction, which I was fortunate to be able to pursue in the University of Edinburgh medical School, leading to the award of PhD in 1995. I then spent two years in the University of Kent working on projects examining novel cancer imaging techniques, which hugely boosted my laboratory skills, prior to returning to the field of reproductive sciences in 1997 at what is now the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. I returned to the University of Edinburgh in 2001, and remained there, working on ovarian function and cancer, until my initial appointment as a lecturer in Edinburgh Napier University. Becoming Reader in Reproductive Biology in 2012, I have continued to pursue my reproductive research interests, focusing upon the influence the prenatal environment has upon lifelong health – we are living longer, and ‘healthspan’ has to keep pace with lifespan if we are to maximise our quality of life, hence ensuring that we begin our lives with the best possible health opportunities for life is something I am very keen to contribute to.
In my spare time, I attempt to keep a classic car on the road, and enjoy fishing for wild brown trout all over Scotland.