General Trustee: 2024 – 2028

University of Edinburgh, UK

I am Professor of Ion Channel Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh where I am the interim co-Director of the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research and the deputy Dean of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Previously I was the director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences (2015-24). I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology from the University of Glasgow in 1988 and gained my PhD from University College London in 1992. It was at UCL where my long-standing research interest in ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) was piqued – specifically those gated by the neurotransmitter L-glutamate. My current interests in glutamatergic synaptic function and LGICs span fundamental structure-function studies through to research in dysfunctional signalling in rodent models of human neurodevelopmental disorders. I have a particular focus in the study of mutations or deletions of genes coding for NMDA receptor subunits. My research vision is to develop an integrated approach to research that begins with the study of single protein molecules and synaptic function and extends, through collaboration with colleagues, to whole animal studies with an ultimate goal of the clinical study and treatment of disease.

I have been a strong supporter of The Physiological Society since attending my first Society scientific meeting in 1988 and joined as a member in 1996 being elected as a Fellow in the first tranche when this category was created in 2017. As I have progressed through my career, I have continued to receive support from The Society, and have also served The Society in several capacities. I was elected a Trustee in 2006 and from 2010-14 held the position of Meetings Secretary. I have championed research in physiology through my role as a Reviewing Editor (2015-18) and Senior Editor (2018-24) of The Journal of Physiology.