Graduated in Physics from Queen Mary College London and obtained his Ph.D. on LB Superlattices of Porphyrins at Lancaster University.  He subsequently held undertook postdoctoral work at Imperial College London and was a visiting Scientist at Eastman Kodak, Rochester.  In 1991 he moved to the School of Physics and Astronomy, at the University of Leeds where became Professor of Molecular and Nanoscale Physics in 2002. Since 2000 he has held posts as Deputy Director of the multidisciplinary Centre for Self-Organising Molecular Systems (SOMS), the Nano Manufacturing Institute and has been the head of the School of Physics & Astronomy.

He currently heads the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics group and is the Deputy Head of Physics and Astronomy.