Executive Committee

President Mike Spyer

Mike Spyer is Emeritus Sophia-Jex Blake Professor of Physiology at UCL. He currently chairs NHS London – the Strategic Health authority for London. He became a Member of The Society in 1972, and an Honorary Member in 2006. He has been President of The Physiological Society since 2010. Previously Mike was Chair of the Editorial Board for The Journal of Physiology and Chair of The Physiological Society's Committee when it had a different executive structure. His role is to work with The Society's Executive and Council and develop a strategy to further the aims of The Society, and promote physiology both nationally and internationally.

Mike retains an interest in research through a collaboration with Alex Gourine at UCL. They are investigating the CNS mechanisms which regulate respiratory activity, with a particular emphasis on unraveling the mechanisms underlying CO₂ sensing in the brainstem and the role of glia in this. He has published extensively on the CNS control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Deputy President Jonathan Ashmore

Jonathan Ashmore is Bernard Katz Professor of Biophysics in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at University College London. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society. Jonathan's research concerns the physiology of hearing. He has worked on the cellular mechanisms in the inner ear which amplify sound and more recently he has been using microscopy and biophysical techniques to understand how information is conveyed out of the cochlea at the synaptic contact between the sensory cells and the auditory nerve. He is part of a large group of auditory neuroscience researchers at the UCL Ear Institute who are actively working on problems of hearing and deafness. 

Jonathan is Vice President of The Physiological Society, a role which he took on in July 2010. Previously, he has served as Editor of The Journal of Physiology as well as a Trustee of The Society. His first published research with The Society resulted from a demonstration of a homebuilt microelectrode system for recording signals from bipolar cells in the retina. This was given at a Society Meeting in 1976. He believes that physiology is a unique discipline in the biomedical sciences that provides the tools and ideas to unify many diverse approaches in modern biology and medicine.

Honorary Treasurer Rod Dimaline

Rod Dimaline is Professor of Physiology in the Department of Physiology, part of the Institute of Translational Medicine, at the University of Liverpool, a role encompassing the typical mix of teaching, research and administration. His main research interest is gastrointestinal physiology and he is currently supported by the Wellcome Trust to investigate novel transcriptional mechanisms important for maintaining functional integrity of the gastric epithelium.

As Honorary Treasurer of The Society, Rod chairs the Finance Committee whose remit is “To take delegated responsibility on behalf of the Council of Trustees for overseeing all financial aspects of The Society, to support its short and long term ability to achieve its charitable objects”. As Honorary Treasurer, it is Rod's responsibility to present financial data to Council in a user friendly format and explain the potential financial consequences of decisions it may take. Rod works closely with The Society's Director of Finance and Administration to do this.

Meetings Secretary David Wyllie

David Wyllie is Professor of Ion Channel Physiology and Pharmacology in the Centre for Integrative Physiology at The University of Edinburgh. David became the Meetings Secretary of The Society in July 2010 having been previously elected a Trustee in July 2006. David's association with The Society began in 1989 when he gave his first communication at a summer meeting held at Cambridge. As Meetings Secretary his overarching aim is to ensure the Meetings Committee and the Events Team continues to provide The Society's membership with high-quality scientific meetings in an environment that stimulates discussion and collaboration between physiologists at all stages in their careers.

David's own research interests focus on ionotropic glutamate receptors and glutamatergic synaptic transmission. In particular, current research investigates structure–function studies of NMDA receptors and how subtype-dependent biophysical and pharmacological properties sub-serve physiological and pathophysiological functions and investigation of synaptic function in models of CNS developmental dysfunction and neurodegeneration.

Chair, Education & Outreach Louise Robson

Louise Robson chairs the Education and Outreach Committee at The Society, an area that has really expanded in the last few years. Based in the Department of Biomedical Science at the University of Sheffield, she teaches a wide range of physiology topics across all years and is also involved in postgraduate education. Louise's main area of expertise is ion channels and epithelial physiology; her research is currently focused on CFTR and cystic fibrosis. In addition to research, teaching and an administrative role (Louise runs UG admissions) she is also committed to public outreach, spending several days each year working with schools during National Science Week. Louise has also given lectures for the Royal Institution and was shortlisted in 2011 for the Women of Outstanding Achievement  Award for communicating science.     

Chair, Policy Jeremy Ward

Jeremy Ward is Head of the Department of Physiology and Professor of Respiratory Cell Physiology at King’s College London. Jeremy was elected as a Trustee of The Society and appointed chair of the External Relations and Policy (now Policy) committee in 2008. He previously served as a Trustee from 1999 to 2005 and was Society Treasurer 2001–2005. As Chair of the Policy committee, Jeremy has helped to develop Society policy and coordinate our response to external consultations in areas such as in vivo research and legislation, and more recently the Society of Biology’s programme accreditation proposals. Jeremy is also Editor-in-Chief of Medical Physiology, a recently initiated joint project between The Society and Wiley-Blackwell which will provide an innovative on-line resource / textbook for medical students and teachers. 

Jeremy’s research focuses on smooth muscle signalling in the pulmonary vasculature and airways, with particular reference to the mechanisms of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and asthma-associated defects in airway smooth muscle function, respectively. He gave his first communication to The Society at a meeting in Leicester in the late ‘70s.

Chair, Publications Mike Shipston

Mike Shipston is Professor of Physiology and Director, Centre for Integrative Physiology at the University of Edinburgh. He is currently the Chair of The Physiological Society Publications Committee that oversees the Publications strategy of The Society’s Flagship journals: The Journal of Physiology and Experimental Physiology as well as the Members’ magazine Physiology News and new developments in a society-produced textbook in Medical Physiology.

His own research work is focused on the physiology of calcium-activated potassium channels that are implicated in the regulation of an eclectic array of physiological processes ranging from the control of blood pressure, through to neuronal excitability and cell proliferation. He has a particular interest in post-transcriptional (e.g. alternative pre mRNA splicing) and post-translational mechanisms (e.g. phosphorylation and palmitoylation) that generate physiological diversity from a limited genome. His laboratory exploits approaches from single ion channel analysis and molecular imaging through to whole organism physiology.