I am a PhD physicist who has gone on to have a career in innovation, which I've combined with my passion for the outdoors. My Fellowship was inspired by my outdoor activities, in particular expeditions to remote parts of the world including the Arctic. I was interested in learning about innovation and entrepreneurship in remote communities and visited Arctic, northern and eastern Canada during my Fellowship.

In Canada I met a wide range of entrepreneurs from local and native communities as well as people who had moved to set up or operate their businesses. I found many parallels with tourism businesses in rural areas of Scotland. After my Fellowship I travelled around Scotland to research and write a guidebook to trail running. Scottish Trail Running: 70 Great Runs was published by Pesda Press in 2012 and has inspired many people to explore new running routes and, I hope, to discover and support local businesses.

Since my Fellowship I have become increasingly involved with the Scottish Arctic Club where I am now Vice-President. We are a community of people with a shared interest in the Arctic and we provide grants to young people wishing to travel to the Arctic.