HPRU Knowledge Mobilisation Lead

UK Health Security Agency

Simon trained as a biologist, receiving a BSc and PhD from the University of Southampton and has worked in the radiation protection field for over 25 years. In his role of Head of Radiation Effects Department he has responsibility for epidemiological and experimental research related to radiation risk; this includes both ionising and non-ionising radiations and ultra-violet light. He has wide ranging research interests on the mechanisms of radiogenic diseases.

Simon has been involved in many radiation protection research projects and currently leads on stakeholder engagement for the EU CONCERT project. He is Chair of the MELODI Strategic Research Agenda working group and co-ordinated the RISK-IR project that investigated the effects of ionising radiation, particularly at low doses, on stem cell function. Simon has published extensively on radiation cancer and leukaemia mechanisms, radio-sensitivity, circulatory disease and eye lens sensitivity with over 100 peer reviewed publications.

In addition, Simon has a number of international advisory roles. He is the UK Representative to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and a member of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Main Commission. He is currently working with the US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement’s (NCRP) SC 1-26 on Approaches for Integrating Radiation Biology and Epidemiology for Enhancing Low Dose Risk Assessment. In 2018, Simon was awarded the Weiss medal by the Association for Radiation Research.