Personal statement

Susan Currie obtained her PhD in Biochemistry (cellular signalling and molecular pharmacology) from the University of Glasgow in 1992 then spent two years at Lilly Research Laboratories, USA, where she studied the role of phospholipase A_² in mast cell activation. She returned to the University of Glasgow in 1994 to join the then newly formed Clinical Research Initiative in heart disease and became a founder member of the school of cardiovascular studies in Glasgow. During this time she progressed from postdoctoral researcher to Principal Investigator examining the role of Calcium/calmodulin protein kinase ll (CaMKll) in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. She moved to the University of Strathclyde in 2005 as a Lecturer in Physiology & Pharmacology and established an independent cardiovascular signalling research group with principal interests in CaMKll modulation of cardiac calcium handling and cardiac inflammation. She is currently an Associate Professor/Reader within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences and CaMKll as a therapeutic target in cardiac disease remains a key focus of research. More recent research interests include cardiotoxicity in the context of safety pharmacology and devices as well as altered cardiovascular function in ageing and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF).

Susan has been research group leader for the Cellular Basis of Disease research group within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences (2021-2023). Externally she was chair of the Scottish Cardiovascular Forum for 12 years (2011-2023) and a member of the committee for the British Society of Cardiovascular Research (2020-2024). She is an elected Fellow of the Physiological Society. Fellowship was awarded in 2017 in recognition of her contribution to cardiovascular research and the discipline of Physiology. More recently (2024), she was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, signifying her international standing in the field of Biological Sciences. She sits on the editorial boards for a range of scientific journals and regularly reviews research funding applications for a number of research councils and charities. She currently teaches on a wide range of classes across both the MPharm and Biomedical Sciences programmes at the University of Strathclyde and coordinates classes on the MPharm programme. She was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2008.

Susan previously directed the collaborative MPharm programme between the University of Strathclyde and the International Medical University (IMU) in Kuala Lumpur (2012-2017), acting as MPharm representative on the internationalisation committee and was Deputy Director of the MPharm programme at the University of Strathclyde (2012-2018). She is currently Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences. Susan was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award for EDI in 2023 and more recently was honoured to receive a Strathclyde Medal (2025). This was awarded for leading transformative EDI strategy, people-focused leadership, innovative data use and collaborative influence.