Local man named science professor at Edinburgh Napier

The son of Dorothy and the late George Rae, Michael is a former Coldstream Primary School and Berwickshire High School pupil and has family in Berwick.

He graduated in 1991 from the then Napier Polytechnic with an honours degree in biological sciences and went on to do a period of research resulting in the award of PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

After working as a scientific researcher in the University of Kent, where he worked on projects examining novel cancer imaging techniques, boosting his laboratory skills, he then went to The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute in Aberdeen in 1997, returning to the field of reproductive sciences in 1997.

Mick returned to the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology as a research fellow before taking up a lecturing post at Edinburgh Napier University in 2007.

Working on ovarian function and cancer, until his appointment as a lecturer in Edinburgh Napier University, Mick became Reader in Reproductive Biology in 2012,

He now teaches biomedical science at Edinburgh Napier and works with academics in research on reproductive biology.

Mick is now a respected authority in the field and is in demand to speak at conferences across the world.

He has authored/co-authored numerous scientific articles in this area, and was made an Honorary Fellow in the Deanery of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the University of Edinburgh in 2017.

“I have continued to pursue my reproductive research interests, focusing upon the influence the prenatal environment has upon lifelong health – we are living longer, and healthspan has to keep pace with lifespan if we are to maximise our quality of life, hence ensuring that we begin our lives with the best possible health opportunities for life is something I am very keen to contribute to,” said Mick.

“The risks of developing many adult illnesses are set down as we develop in the womb, hence the environment we experience during fetal life needs to be just right. Understanding how the fetal environment colours development helps decision making during pregnancy to ensure best health chances for our children.”