A distinguished researcher, academic and lecturer, Chris’s expertise lies in all things yeast and fermentation - from brewing yeast physiology, cell biology, stress tolerance, flavour development, breeding novel strains and much more. 

Beginning his career at Bass Brewers in 1997, Chris worked in the R&D laboratories before achieving a PhD in yeast physiology at Oxford Brookes University (2001).

Following a postdoc investigating rapid PCR methods for microbial detection and identification, Chris spent 6 years in Montreal, Canada, holding dual positions as Senior Scientist in Brewing Research, and Project Manager for Genetic Identification of Yeast and Bacteria.

From 2010-2025, Chris was an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, heading the university's brewing yeast and fermentation research group. He has published more than 60 scientific articles over his career to date and is a regular reviewer for many journals. Following stints as the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) Technical Committee Chair, and as Secretary for the society, his expertise led him to be appointed as President of the ASBC in 2017-2018.

Chris has been an CIBD member since 1998 and will provide Diploma candidates with a truly unparalleled and in-depth education into brewing science. Based in Nottingham, UK, Chris also enjoys swimming, running and other outdoor activities when time permits!