Born in Manchester, I attended Cheadle Hulme School in Cheshire where I had fantastic physics and chemistry teachers who opened my eyes to the possibilities of science. I read Chemistry as a first degree and then PhD. My first postdoctoral appointment was as lecturer at the University of Sheffield to develop novel glasses for fibreoptics.
Since 2000, I have been a full-time Professor at the University of Nottingham, my alma mater, in the Faculty of Engineering. My current research is developing and exploiting fibreoptics for early cancer detection using mid-infrared light.
What the Ri means to me
The importance of UK people having more understanding about science and technology in determining our national future happiness and prosperity cannot be understated.
I have always been impressed by the Ri and its role in making exciting science and technology accessible to everyone, and especially to the children who will shape our future.
My formal involvement with the Ri and the opportunity to contribute this year is a huge honour. I hope to work within the Ri to open new accessibility to Ri events, discourses and discussion including in the north of England, where we lack a significant local scientific culture for our general population.
This page was last updated on 21 April 2021.