Personal statement

I am the LGC Professor in Measurement Science for Health at the University of Strathclyde and lead the Centre for Advanced Measurement Science and Health Translation, a joint initiative with the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC) and NHS Lanarkshire.

My work focuses on building translational diagnostic platforms based on electrochemical sensing, with the aim of moving technologies from early-stage research into real-world healthcare and industrial applications. A central theme of this work is closing the gap between what performs well in the laboratory and what can be deployed reliably in practice.

Using expertise in electrochemical sensing, analytical chemistry and sensor fabrication, my research develops diagnostic systems for a range of clinically important areas including antimicrobial resistance, respiratory infection, sepsis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The group works across the full development pathway, including sensor fabrication, surface functionalisation, receptor development, bioconjugation, sample handling and assay development, spanning formats from microfabricated sensor arrays through to low-cost and deployable devices.

Translation and real-world application are core to the group’s activity. I am founding Director and Chief Scientific Officer of Aureum Diagnostics, which is developing low-cost electrochemical assay platforms for biosafety and biopharmaceutical applications, and co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Microplate Dx, which is developing rapid diagnostic tools for antibiotic susceptibility testing. In recognition of this work, I was awarded Academic Entrepreneur of the Year (2023) at the PraxisAuril Knowledge Exchange Awards.

My research is highly interdisciplinary and involves close collaboration with clinicians, microbiologists, engineers and industry partners, including GSK, AstraZeneca, the National Nuclear Laboratory and a range of SMEs.

I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), co-chair the Measurement Science Institute for the Community for Analytical Measurement Science – UK (CAMS-UK), and serve on the UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College, the National Physical Laboratory Industrial Committee on Biosensors, and the Scottish Pandemic Sciences Partnership Oversight Board.

The University of Strathclyde is a Tier 1 member of CAMS-UK, and my role is supported in part through funding derived from CAMS-UK and the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund (ACTF).