NuCore members

Michael moved from Edinburgh University to take up the role of Dean of Innovation and Business at Newcastle University in 2018. He trained as a medical biophysicist, completing his PhD at Manchester University before taking up postdoctoral research at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital, London. In 1984, Michael moved into industry, joining Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis) as a section leader in their Advanced Drug Delivery Research Unit. In 1987, he moved into a sales and marketing role with SmithKline Beckman (now GSK) where he eventually headed up the UK vaccine business. In 1992, he moved to Amersham International, becoming Executive Vice-President, Strategy following the merger with Nycomed. He spent most of his years with Amersham working either in the USA, Norway or Cardiff. It was his time spent in the USA and his close association with the growing biotech sector that led him ultimately into the biotech sector when he returned to the UK. Through the late 90s to 2010, he was CEO of a number of early stage, venture capital backed companies including spin-outs from Oxford and Nottingham Universities. During those years, he raised more than £60m of funding, listed two companies on the London Stock Exchange and had his fair share of M&A activity. As CEO, he led the trade sale of Hunter-Fleming in 2008 to an Italian pharmaceutical company, Newron, listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange for $25m following which, he decided that he wanted to ‘do something different’. In 2010, he joined Edinburgh University as Director of Edinburgh BioQuarter to help with commercialisation of intellectual property from the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (where he is still an Honorary Fellow) helping to strengthen the life science ecosystem in Edinburgh through working closely with Scottish Enterprise. Michael still serves as a non-executive director on a handful of biotech companies, and is currently Chairman of Stealthyx Therapeutics, a Queen Mary University of London spin out. Michael still lives in Scotland (North Berwick) where he enjoys the beautiful coast line, outdoor life and golf amongst other pursuits.