Mike obtained a PhD in Biochemistry in London and was a post-doc at the Rockefeller University and Oxford University before moving to the University of Dundee. Mike was appointed the first Regius Professor of Life Sciences in 2013. At the University of Dundee, he helped establish the Drug Discovery Unit and the Proteomics Facility. Mike is known for his work on the structure and biosynthesis of parasite surface molecules and for solving the first structures of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchors, which play important roles throughout eukaryotic biology. He believes in working across disciplines and in translational research. He has contributed to the growth of the Life Sciences sector in Dundee through the provision of research laboratories and technologies and, most recently, has co-led the Growing the Tay Cities BioMedical Cluster component of the Tay Cities Deal – designed to assist economic development.