About Stuart Pepper

I joined CRUK MI in 1984 when it was known as the Paterson Institute – before the Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund had merged to create CRUK.  As a school leaver my early years were spent training in lab work, particularly in the (then) new field of molecular biology. During these years I learned a variety of cloning and DNA sequencing techniques, in the time when we still used radioactive labels for sequencing (35S Methionine to be precise).  This period also saw the introduction of PCR, a technique that we now take for granted but which was very technically challenging in the early days.

The next stage of my career became much more technology focussed and involved setting up a molecular biology Core Facility within the Institute.  This Facility supported a variety of technologies including the emerging field of microarray analysis.  For several years the Core Facility ran a national microarray service available to all CRUK funded groups, until microarrays were superseded by sequencing technologies. Aside from the technological side of managing a Core Facility this was the first time I had built and managed a team, and found this to be an enjoyable experience.

Having enjoyed the role of being a team leader for several years I was lucky to have a chance to move into a management role, acting as line manager for all the Institute Core Facilities and taking on a broader responsibility for the provision of services to meet the needs of the research groups. Over several years I have also been involved providing leadership in areas of Estates, IT, Safety and Logistics functions.

Following the 2017 fire in the Paterson Building I took a lead role in the relocation of the Institute to Alderley Park, and then worked closely with the design team on the new Paterson Building. This has given detailed experience of the process by which new laboratory spaces are designed, and how the many teams involved need to interact efficiently to ensure that the final design and building program meets the Institute’s needs.

Now that we have settled into the new building I have taken on responsibility for leading on sustainability for CRUK MI. This is a critical area for laboratories to consider; research is an energy-intensive activity and finding ways to continue our life-saving research in a sustainable manner is a critical challenge for the next few years.