For some members, Career Timelines are available. These have been extracted from Recognising Teachers in the Life Sciences, a fantastic publication by The Physiological Society that was developed in collaboration with the Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal Society of Biology and HUBS.

Chair

Professor Janey Henderson CBiol FRSB

Secretary

Dr Georgina Manning FRSB

Treasurer

Professor Simon Guild FRSB

Members

Professor Hilary MacQueen FRSB - Career timeline
Professor Stephen Price FRSB
Dr Helen Packer
Professor Gillian Knight FRSB
Dr Phillip Gould
Dr Simon Baines
Professor Stephen McClean
Professor Robert James

Secretariat

Andy Stephens

Observers

Professor Gerry McKenna FRSB (HUCBMS representative)
Dr Andrew Holding MRSB (ECLBio representative)

Professor Janey Henderson studied at Aberdeen and Manchester Universities before gaining her PhD from Durham University, a CASE award with Rothamsted Experimental Station. Janey completed post-doctoral projects at Warwick, Oxford and Oxford Brookes Universities before taking up a career in academic leadership in higher education, holding positions as a head of department at Coventry University followed by an assistant dean position at Teesside University with responsibility for academic quality, learning and teaching. She is passionate about the student experience and has a wealth of experience in learning and teaching in higher education.

Janey has a longstanding record as an academic leader and a strong record in teaching and support of student learning, having taught at all levels from undergraduate to postgraduate with consistent, excellent feedback from students and peers. She was also awarded a vice chancellor’s University Teaching Excellence Award for innovative teaching and assessment methods providing an enhanced student learning experience and has been recognised as a principal fellow of the HEA. Janey has also supervised 16 doctoral research degree students to successful completion.

Janey has served as a member of several key national committees including those of the Royal Society of Biology. A former member of the Society’s education, training and policy committee and degree accreditation committee, Janey is currently a member of the Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach) committee which assesses and elects university-level educators to the Royal Society of Biology CSciTeach register, and demonstrates her commitment to reward and recognise excellent teaching, a key issue across higher education at the current time.

Professor Hilary McQueen studied at the universities of Sheffield and Edinburgh, and is now professor in health sciences in the school of life, health and chemical sciences at The Open University. As well as head of department there, she has been director of teaching and health sciences programme director, and is currently leading the work-based learning office. In spite of a strong focus on teaching, Hilary has not neglected her research and is currently involved in two research strands: the metabolic and regulatory roles of adipose tissue, and ways to support students learning practical skills at a distance. Hilary is interested in promoting the status of teaching in higher education, and has worked with RSB and others on a number of initiatives in this area. She is also keen on improving public engagement in science, and has worked on many broadcast projects with the BBC.

Professor Gerry McKenna is a former dean of science, pro vice chancellor (research), and vice chancellor and President of the University of Ulster. He was the key architect in the transformation of the University from a largely teaching-only institution in the 1980s into one with a strong reputation for research and knowledge transfer. He internationalised the University through collaborative research and teaching linkages with leading universities in the United States, Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia and Australia.

McKenna has been centrally involved in developing many national and international initiatives including the establishment of Universities Ireland (as founding chair), and being co-founder of the Heads of University Centres of Biomedical Sciences (HUCBMS), the US-Ireland R&D Partnership and the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA).Locally, he has been a pioneer of knowledge transfer. He was co-founder of the Northern Ireland Science Park and developed incubator facilities for start-up companies across each of the University of Ulster’s campuses. He chaired the Northern Ireland Foresight: Life and Health Technologies Report.

He is currently vice president of the Royal Irish Academy, President Emeritus and honorary executive secretary of HUCBMS and representative for HUCBMS on the HUBS Executive Committee.

Professor Simon Guild graduated and gained his PhD in pharmacology from the department of pharmacology at the University of Glasgow. He undertook postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, worked at the National Institute of Neurological , Communicative Disorders and Stroke from 1984-1986 on a Fogarty International Fellowship and a Royal Society Travelling Fellowship. He returned to the University of Glasgow in 1986 to a Wellcome Trust New Blood Lectureship in molecular pharmacology and moved to the University of St Andrews in 1991 to a lectureship in pharmacology.

In 2002 he joined the newly restored School of Medicine at St Andrews in 2002 to become the director of teaching/UG teaching dean. He was promoted to a personal chair in medical science and education in 2007 and became the vice-dean for medicine in 2012. He moved to the University of Glasgow in 2015 to become professor and the head of the school of life sciences of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences so returning to the place where he started his academic career.

His scientific interests were in molecular pharmacology with a particular focus on the control of anterior pituitary hormone secretion. He is currently looking at the reverse transfer of the pedagogic rigour of accredited  vocational degrees to traditionally less structured scientific degree programmes. 

Dr Helen Packer is head of department of biological and medical sciences at Oxford Brookes University. A microbiologist with a BSc in microbiology followed by a PhD in biochemical engineering, both at UCL . Her research was very much focused on application of image processing to microscopy first in fermentation and then on moving to Oxford to join Judith Armitage’s research team on bacterial cell tracking. Following on from a NERC Advanced Fellowship at Oxford ion bacterial environmental sensing, Helen joined Oxford Brookes as a senior lecturer establishing research in biofilms before taking on teaching focussed role as programme lead to enhance student experience. From which she moved to her current role.

Helen has a strong interest in the development of students, using innovative techniques including OL learning and assessment and skills development, as well as the recognition of diverse academic career paths.

Professor Stephen Price is Associate Director (Education) in the Division of Biosciences at UCL. He studied Natural Sciences (Chemistry) at the University of Cambridge and then completed his PhD at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology under the supervision of Dr Kiyoshi Nagai, FRS. After six years as a postdoc in New York with Dr Thomas Jessell, FRS at Columbia University, he set up his own lab as a Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at UCL. His lab researches in the field of Developmental Neurobiology, particularly the formation of neuronal nuclei in the embryonic spinal cord and brainstem. He has managed, with varying degrees of success, to maintain his own research combining his duties as Director of Education and in Education research, particularly around widening participation, socio-scientific issues and authentic research experiences for school and university students.

Professor Gillian Knight is the Director for Education, at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her role is cross-university, working with both academic and professional services colleagues on the strategic development and delivery of Royal Holloway’s education. She is also the University’s Access and Participation Lead. Before taking up her role at Royal Holloway, she was the Associate Dean for Education within the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, at Aston University (2018-2022). She also worked at the University Derby as Head of Biosciences at Derby University (2014-2018). Gill is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and a National Teaching Fellow.
Gill undertakes both pedagogic and Bioscience research. Her pedagogic research is focused on student academic success and working with students as partners. Her Bioscience research investigates the epidemiology and natural history of oral Human Papillomavirus infection in the healthy community, to understand the risk factors associated with contracting HPV but also to determine how life style can influence oral and determine the life cycle of HPV infections in healthy tonsils.

Dr Phillip Gould is Associate Head of School for Enterprise and Innovation in the School of Health and Life Sciences at Coventry University. Phillip graduated with a First Class Degree in genetics at the University of Birmingham and remained there to complete his PhD in Molecular Microbiology before moving to the University of Warwick. Following an extensive post-doctoral research career predominantly working on negative sense respiratory viruses he joined Coventry University initially as a lecturer in 2016. Here he teaches molecular biology across all year groups.

He is particularly proud of developing a new suite of master’s courses including those with an extensive professional experience placement component. He remains research active and has a passion for embedding this in the student experience. His research outputs have led to the launch of a spin out company that is commercialising a technology platform that improves viral vaccine manufacturing.

Dr (Georgina) Gina Manning studied BSc Biological Sciences at the University of Leicester after which she remained in Leicester to do her PhD with Professors Tim Mitchell and Peter Andrew where she studied virulence gene regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae. After her PhD Gina moved to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA, now APHA) in Surrey where she spent nine years as a senior research scientist managing a team of scientists carrying out research into the pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni. The research at the VLA, which was funded primarily by DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), was focussed on distinguishing pathogenic from non-pathogenic strains of C. jejuni to identify markers of pathogenicity and to investigate control strategies to remove this major human pathogen from the food chain. Following that Gina moved to Nottingham Trent University (NTU) as a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology. Throughout the twelve and a half years at NTU Gina taught Microbiology to students at all levels on Biology, Biomedical Science and Forensic Science courses, whilst remaining research active. Promotion to Principal Lecturer saw Gina take on the role of Post-Graduate Courses Manager as well as Outreach coordinator for the team. Gina was then appointed Acting Head of Bioscience in August 2014 before moving to take on the role of Head of Department of Biology, Chemistry and Forensic Science at the University of Wolverhampton in September, 2017.

Dr Simon Baines is the Head of Biosciences, Agriculture, Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Hertfordshire. Simon is a microbiologist with a degree in Biomedical Sciences (UWE, Bristol) and PhD in Medical Microbiology (University of Leeds). His research is focussed on the study of nosocomial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, and in particular the study of the gut microbiota and Clostridioides difficile using complex in vitro models of infection. Simon joined the University of Hertfordshire as a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology in 2012, following employment in the Biopharmaceutical industry (Phico Therapeutics) and also in research role in the NHS and in academia (University of Leeds). Simon has a strong interest in developing students and embedding research into teaching and in the development of non-animal alternative models for biomedical research.

Professor Stephen McClean is Head of School of Biomedical Sciences at Ulster University. He graduated from Ulster with a BSc Hons in Science with Business followed by Master of Research and PhD degrees. The focus of his postgraduate and doctoral work was on the development of bioanalytical techniques, in particular mass spectrometry. A main area of focus of his bioscience research has been natural product drug discovery, and in particular venom-derived peptides for the treatment of diabetes.
Stephen contributes to the delivery of a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the Schools of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ulster. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was involved in the 2022 QAA subject benchmark review advisory group for Biomedical Science(s).
Stephen is a strong advocate of active learning and has a keen interest in the use of digital technologies to enhance the student experience. He is the recipient of Ulster University distinguished teaching fellowships and Students’ Union learning & teaching awards.

Professor Robert James is a muscle physiologist who obtained his BSc and PhD at the University of Leeds. After 4 years of postdoctoral research at the University of St Andrews he started as a lecturer at Coventry University. His teaching was focused on biomechanics and muscle physiology. He undertook various leadership roles at Coventry including Dean of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Deputy Dean and Associate Dean (Research), before joining Bradford as Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences in July 2022.
Robert is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a chartered scientist (CSci) and an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB). His main research focus is to utilise physiological techniques, such as the work loop technique, to better understand the effects of drugs, temperature, obesity or ageing on muscle performance.
Robert is the EDI lead for HUBS and a member of the Royal Society of Biology’s Diversity and Inclusion Network