New University chairs

Professor Brigid Daniel
Chair of Child Care and Protection

Brigid worked in the Department of Social Work for many years, before she left to take up a position at the University of Stirling. From there she was seconded to the Social Work Services Inspectorate of the Scottish Executive as part of a multi-disciplinary team carrying out a ministerial review of Child Protection in Scotland. This involved a number of sub-projects, including an audit and inspection of the practices of all key agencies across the spectrum of child care and protection work throughout Scotland. Her current research interests include a pilot study for a large-scale evaluative study into the efficacy of resilience-led approaches to child care and protection work (funded by the Scottish Executive); evaluation of four Aberlour Child Care Trust projects (in collaboration with the Social Work Research Centre at Stirling); and the development of an Integrated Assessment Framework for Ayrshire Councils and Stirling Council. She has co-written books on child development, work with fathers and on the promotion of resilience in vulnerable children.

Professor Michael Coughtrie
Personal Chair of Biochemical Pharmacology

Mike is a double graduate of the University (1st Class Honours BSc and PhD in Biochemistry), and has been a member of the academic staff since 1988 when he was appointed to a Lectureship in Biochemical Medicine. He is an internationally recognised researcher whose main interests are in sulfation, and in particular the sulfotransferase enzyme family, which has diverse roles in endocrinology, neurotransmission and drug metabolism. His group was the first to solve the X-ray crystal structure of a human sulfotransferase enzyme, and more recent work has focused on the role of these enzymes during development and in susceptibility to chemical-induced cancer.  In addition to his research interests, Michael has made significant contributions to other aspects of University life, in particular leading the Network Infrastructure Review in 2002.  He founded and chaired the Medical School’s Higher Degrees Committee, is chair of the School's Information Services Committee and has been Head of the new Division of Pathology & Neuroscience since August 2003.  He is also an enthusiastic teacher, delivering courses on drug metabolism and pharmacogenetics to undergraduate medical and science students.

Professor Paul Crocker
Personal Chair of Glycoimmunology

Since arriving in Dundee, Paul has established a powerful and very well respected research group looking into the structure and function of the "Siglec" family. He is a recognized international leader in the area of immune recognition and glycobiology. He identified the first member of the "Siglec" family of sialic acid-binding, cell-surface animal lectins and was responsible for the start of a whole field of research on these fascinating and important molecules. In fact, Paul’s team have discovered seven of the 11 Siglec family members and they continue to dominate this field of research. As well as his research credentials, Paul is Deputy Head of his Division and he runs the first year of the Wellcome Trust 4 year PhD programme. He also contributes to teaching cell biology and immunology for the Faculty of Life Sciences.