I'm from Buckie, a couthy wee fishing town in the north east of Scotland. I did an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Aberdeen University from 1981-85, then a PhD from 1985-1990 with Allan Balmain who was then at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow. I attempted to escape research by doing a teaching degree in Glasgow from 89-90. I was reigned back in, and did a Post Doc with Bob Phillips, who was then at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. The original plan was to stay in Canada for a few years, then return to eat red pudding suppers in the north east of Scotland. But I was given a job in the Toronto Western in late 1994, and have never escaped. Canada has been very good to me, but I miss those red pudding suppers*. Why did I originally try to escape Science? I think my underpants were too tight.

Major interests include football (the real football, not that strange ball throwing game with helmets they play over here), beer (favourites: Creemore and 80 Shilling), and football. I like science because I like solving puzzles. I'm an Aberdeen fan. Now there's a puzzle. I like to remind cynical colleagues that Aberdeen won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983 (2-1 against Real Madrid). Soon, it may be my only memory, as the brain cells fade like dreams of another European victory. Aberdeen haven't won a trophy since 1996. They are not eating enough red pudding suppers.

* The red pudding supper: any "supper" in scotland is something + chips. There are an array of choices in the chip shops which "smell like heaven". I can wax on about the "orange glow" of the heat racks where they tempt you with the puddings ready to consume. Here in Canada, we are familiar with the "Fish supper", which is fish and chips. But in the north east of Scotland you can have red pudding suppers, black pudding suppers, white pudding suppers, sausage suppers, haggis suppers, spicy haggis suppers, mock chops suppers....the list goes on. People die happy where I come from. The haggis gets a bad rap. But if you gave it some fancy Italian spicy sausage name, they'd be selling it for 25 bucks on College street. A good haggis makes life complete.