|
SYNOPIS
- Honorary
Reader at University College London
- Accomplished
science writer: author and editor of books and articles
- Regular
contributor to Nature
- Good academic
publication record in international peer-reviewed journals
- Regular
guest lecturer in universities and plenary speaker at conferences
- Formerly
Strategic Director of Adelphi Medi Cine, a medical communications company
- PhD on
oxygen free radicals and mitochondrial function in organ transplants
WRITER
AND HONORARY READER, UCL, 2002 - DATE
- Author
of Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution to
be published in Spring 2009 by Profile (UK) and Norton (US).
- Author
of Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life
(OUP, 2005), translated into Japanese and Czech. Shortlisted for the
Royal Society Aventis Science Book Prize, 2006, and the Times
Higher Young Academic Author of the Year Award, 2006. One of The
Economist's Books of the Year, 2005.
- Author
of Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World (OUP, 2002), translated
into Korean, Japanese, Polish and Spanish. One of The Sunday Times's
Books of the Year, 2002
- Co-editor
of Life in the Frozen State, the first major multi-author text
on cryobiology in the genomic era (CRC Press, 2004)
- Articles
published in Nature, New Scientist, Scientific American, The Lancet,
the BMJ, The Scientist, etc
- Regular
guest lecturer in universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial
College, UCL, etc
- Plenary
speaker at conferences, including SMBE 2007; Biochemical Society Harden
Conference 2007
- Speaker
at the Hay Festival 2006 and 2004, Edinburgh International Science Festival
2003
- Several
radio appearances including the Radio 4 Today Programme
- Freelance
writer and producer with background in pharmaceutical research
- Regular
editorial features on ophthalmology for EuroTimes (magazine of European
Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons)
RESEARCH
POSITIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- Honorary
Reader, University College London, 2006 – Date
- Honary
Senior Research Fellow, University College London, 2002-2006
- Honorary
Research Fellow, University College London, 1997-2002
- PhD student,
Royal Free Hospital Medical School 1991 – 1995
- Scientific
Officer, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park Hospital 1988
– 1991
Research
on:
- Mitochondrial
energetics and metabolic function: in vivo measurements of respiratory
chain redox state and haemoglobin oxygenation using surface fluorescence
and near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) in transplanted kidneys
- Free radicals
and reperfusion injury: ex vivo measurements of free radical and inflammatory
markers; analysis of the pharmacology and biochemistry of antioxidants
and iron chelators
- Renal
physiology and pathophysiology: vascular labelling studies, histochemistry
and electron microscopy; assays of glomerular filtration and serum markers
of renal function
TALKS
AND INVITED LECTURES
- 2008 October -
The Mitochondrial Physiology Society, Innsbruck, Austria, introduction
to MiPArt exhibition
- 2008 April –
Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College
- 2007 November
– University of Cambridge, Biological Society
- 2007 October –
Imperial College Biochemical Society
- 2007 October –
UCL Department of Biochemistry
- 2007 September
– Biochemical Society, Harden Conference, Ambleside, plenary lecture
- 2007 June –
Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Annual Conference, Dalhousie
University, Canada, plenary public lecture
- 2007 May –
Oxford University, Department of Plant Sciences
- 2007 March –
Imperial College, creative nonfiction course seminar
- 2007 February
– EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany, Science and Society Series
- 2007 January –
Oxford University Scientific Society
- 2006 November
– Folkestone Literary Festival
- 2006 May –
Hay Festival of Literature
- 2006 May –
Wolfson Institute, UCL
- 2006 March –
Queen Mary, University of London
- 2006 March –
Royal Free and University College Medical School, grand rounds lecture
- 2005 May –
Life at the Limits, CASE Conference, UCL, plenary lecture
- 2004 May –
Hay Festival of Literature
- 2003 April –
Edinburgh International Science Festival
- 2003 February
– University of the West of England
- 2002 March –
Royal Free and University College Medical School, grand rounds lecture
AWARDS
AND MEDIA APPEARANCES
- 2007 June –
CBC Radio, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 2006 November –
Power, Sex, Suicide short-listed for the THES Young Academic Author
of the Year
- 2006 April –
Spanish national television Redes interview
- 2006 April –
Power, Sex, Suicide short-listed for the Aventis Science Book Prize,
2006
- 2005 December
– Power, Sex, Suicide selected as one of The Economist’s
Books of the Year
- 2003 March –
Calgary Radio, Canada
- 2002 December
– Oxygen selected as one of The Sunday Times’ Books of the
Year
- 2002 December
– interview on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme
- 1994 – Prize
winner in the New Scientist Millennial Science Essay Competition
- 1993 – Prize
winner in the Daily Telegraph Young Science Writer of the Year Award
PHARMACEUTICAL
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
Strategic
Director, Adelphi Medi Cine, 1999 – 2002
- Chief
medical communications strategist in global pharmaceutical marketing
campaigns developing interactive multimedia health-economic programs
to guide health policy on diabetes, influenza, haemophilia, HRT and
infectious disease.
Senior Writer/Producer,
Medi Cine International 1996 – 1999
- Developing
programmes in a variety of media, including, CD-ROM, DVD, video, slide,
web and print; CME program through Johns Hopkins University. Won several
prizes in international film festivals, including Gold and Silver awards
in the Prix Leonardo, and Silver ‘Hugo’ in the Intercom
Chicago International Film Festival.
Medical Writer,
Oxford Clinical Communications 1995 – 1996
EDUCATION
- PhD, Royal
Free Hospital Medical School, University of London 1991 – 1995:
In vivo studies of ischaemia-reperfusion injury in hypothermically stored
rabbit renal autograft
- BSc (Hons)
Biochemistry, Imperial College, University of London 1985 – 1988.
Annual
recipient of the Isaac Holden Scholarship
PERSONAL
INTERESTS
- Raising
two small and energetic boys
- Rock-climbing
and mountaineering: numerous foolish exploits on rock, ice and mountain
peaks across the UK, Europe and America; finding wild camp sites
- Fiddle
player in traditional Irish band, Probably Not, playing in London pubs
and folk venues
|