Michael has over 30 years of senior management, research and teaching experience in med-tech, life sciences and blue biotech. He has worked with organisations from start-ups to listed companies where he has developed in vitro diagnostic devices using chemistry, enzymology, lateral flow and GC-IMS. Michael has been developing antimicrobial agents for 25+ years and has achieved Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for a first-in-class anti-virulence compound against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with his most recent work being Disperazol. He holds a master’s degree in Law and PhDs in Anatomy and in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is co-author on publications in the fields of drug development, diagnostics and food science and holds joint inventorship on various patents in the field of microbial control and diagnostics. 

Heather has an MBA from the University of Exeter and before that, 25 years of experience in business management and providing direct patient care. She transitioned from neurorehabilitation into the biotechnology sector in 2014 and has been responsible for managing commercial and business development aspects of biotechnology companies since then.

Heather has a particular interest in developing sustainable business models for providing effective healthcare and for developing and commercialising new and effective antimicrobials. She is also passionate about giving companies a voice to tell their stories.

Stewart has over 10 years of experience as a Quality Manager in the Food, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical industries and has worked in South Africa, the USA and currently in the UK. His keen eye for detail and pragmatic approach to understanding and solving problems meant he was recognised as a Quality Risk Management expert for a large, multinational sterile parenteral pharmaceutical company where he was also key in managing their audit readiness strategy.

Stewart has lead R&D teams in biotechnology and medical device development projects and has a keen understanding of the Regulatory environment relating to GxP. He is currently serving as the Head of Quality to a small drug discovery company supporting them to bring their wound care product to the market as well as acting as Chief Scientific Officer for a multinational life sciences company leading their technical, clinical, quality and regulatory efforts.

Stewart has a Masters in Biotechnology from Rhodes University in South Africa and a PhD in Microbiology from the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University in the USA. He is a Chartered Biologist and member of the Royal Society of Biology and the American Chemical Society.

Bryan is a biological chemist and has worked extensively in the agri-food and biotechnology sectors. He has worked for publically funded research institutes, the EU and commercial organisations in the UK, Europe and the US. His industrial experience includes the FMCG and pharmaceuticals sectors, SMEs, membership and not-for-profit organisations.

Bryan has held senior management and Board positions and has initiated and led work in a number of areas including the development and use of biomarkers, novel aspects of enzyme catalysed reactions, natural product chemistry and nutrition. He has also worked with Learned Societies and held posts of President (Royal Society of Chemistry, Industry and Technology Division) and Chairman (Royal Society of Chemistry, Food Group) as well as a number of committee and advisory positions. He is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Biology and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

He has published over 70 articles in peer reviewed journals and is joint inventor on a number of patents. He has also co-supervised PhD students and has delivered lectures to technical and non-technical audiences on a number of topics.

James holds a BSc in Biomedical Sciences (Molecular Biology) from Cardiff Metropolitan University, where he was 2016 recipient of the IBMS President’s prize. He has 7 years’ experience working with start-ups and consultancies within the life sciences sector across novel antibiotic drug development, In-Vitro Diagnostics and medical device products.  

James’ talents lie in identifying opportunities within global healthcare markets and developing innovative concepts into real-world products and solutions. At Biophys he is responsible for guiding commercialisation of Dose Dr®: a smart cartridge and applicator system for safer delivery of liquid medications.