1. CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Dr.Paul Geoffrey Skett
Date of Birth: 15th July 1952
Place of Birth: Liverpool, U.K.
Nationality: British
Marital Status: Married; two children (Emma,36 and Fiona,28).
Qualifications
B.Sc.(Hons) – Biochemistry, University of Liverpool, July 1973
Ph.D. – Medical Chemistry, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, October 1977
Certificate in Criminal Law – Cardiff University – September 2010
Present Post and Date of Appointment:
Honorary Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Glasgow – August 2010
Forensic Pharmacologist, GEWS
Address: 46A, Carlton Place, GLASGOW G5 9TW.
Tel. No: 0141-418 4325; fax: 0141-418 0518
Mobile: 07989-474807
Previous Appointments:
Reader in Pharmacology, University of Glasgow – August 2002
Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Glasgow: 1st October 1988
(subsequently transferred to Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, 1994)
Lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Glasgow: 1978-88.
Lecturer in Medical Chemistry, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, 1977-8.
Ciba-Geigy Fellow, Karolinska Institute: 1973-77.
D ESCRIPTION OF UNIVERSITY POSITION:
Administrative Responsibilities
Divisional Responsibilities (to August 2008):
Organiser of Open Day and Visits Liaison Officer (1988-2004 )
Degree Group Co-ordinator (2000-2003)
Head of Teaching (2003-4)
Deputy Head of Division (2004-8) – this involved overall responsibility for the learning
and teaching activities in the Division. Specific activities ongoing include design and
implementation of a new common Level-3 course for Anatomy, Biomedical Sciences,
Human Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Physiology degrees and a new
Level-3 Physiology & Sports Science course, management of Staff Activity Profiles for
all aspects of learning, teaching and assessment for academic staff and disciplinary
matters involving students.
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2. Subsequently transferred to Undergraduate School in August 2008 following
conversion of divisions into research entities.
Faculty Responsibilities
Computer Assisted Learning Support Group, Convener (1995-2002 )
Student Recruitment Committee, Convener (1995-2004 ) – now member of Student
Recruitment & Retention Advisory Group (2004-2010) – this involved management of
the Faculty’s Student Recruitment policy and other outreach activities including
interaction with local schools and with the Glasgow Science Centre.
IT Committee (1995-2008)
Undergraduate Education Committee (1995-2010 )
Faculties of Science - Science Taught Programmes Committee (2008-2010)
GUTS Partnership Scheme co-ordinator (2000- 2004) – this involved administration
and direction of the GUTS Scheme (over 50 one-to-one links between Principal
Teachers of Biology in local schools and research scientists at FBLS), design and
implementation of school visits and interactive projects (see Funding below),
management of the Nuffield Bursary Scheme for IBLS, management of Work
Experience placements in IBLS, management of school Higher and Advanced Higher
project assistance in IBLS.
Adviser of Studies (1998-2010) – one-stop contact for close to 100 students in the
Faculty with regard to their academic curriculum and overall welfare (accommodation,
finance, health etc.).
Head, Degree Group C within Undergraduate School from August 2008. Oversee
management and development of programmes for over half of the students within the
Faculty across the area of biomedical sciences (including Pharmacology).
University Responsibilities:
Senate (1995-2010 )
Faculty of Medicine (elected member) (1988-2010)
Wider Access Officer (2003-4)
Senate Assessor for Teaching & Learning Service (2001-2006)
Senate Assessor for Discipline (2008-2010) – deal with all aspects of student discipline
Academic Standards Committee (2008-2010) – committee scrutinises and approves all
new programmes of study and oversees resources and academic regulations for
teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
External Examinerships:
M.Sc. (Pharmacology), University of Aberdeen (1988-98 )
B.Sc. (Pharmacology) University of Sunderland (1998-2002)
B.Sc. (Biomedical Sciences), University of Manchester (2002-7)
M.B.B.S. Level-1, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2003-7)
B.Sc.(Pharmacology) – University of Leeds (2006-)
External examiner for Ph.D. theses over the last 10 years at Aberdeen, Edinburgh,
Dundee, Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian, Surrey, Manchester, London and Liverpool
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3. Universities and the University of Central Lancashire.
External examiner for doctoral degrees at the University of Utrecht (1993) and Vrije
Universiteit Brussel (1994).
Other Responsibilities:
Education sub-committee of the British Pharmacological Society (2000-7) -
Chair from January 2005
- this has involved development of “Careers in Pharmacology” CD-ROM and
website (can be viewed at http://www.bps.ac.uk/pharmacology/careers/)
- Vice-Chair of Education & Training Committee (2007-)
Education Committee of Biosciences Federation (2003-8) – involved in organisation of
Careers Conferences (see http://www.bsf.ac.uk )
Teaching Responsibilities
Course Organiser for Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics (1995- )
Course Organiser for Drugs & Disease course (1995-2000)
Course Co-ordinator – Pharmacology Honours (1997-2003)
Deputy Course Co-ordinator – Pharmacology-3H (2003-2010)
Deputy Course Coordinator – Forensic Biosciences (2008-2010)
I taught extensively in the following courses:
Faculty of Biomedical & Life Sciences:
Pharmacology-3H (common Level-3 course)
Pharmacology-4H
Drugs & Disease
Physiological Systems-2
Exercise Science-2
Forensic Biosciences-2
Feedback on FBLS courses from students is by way of student questionnaires. I am
always given an excellent feedback from students on all aspects of learning, teaching
and assessment. In the Level-2 “Drugs & Disease” module I am regularly given top
rating and have received a note each year to indicate that I am one of the top rated
teachers in Level-2.
Faculty of Physical Sciences
Chemistry & Medicinal Chemistry-4H
Medical Faculty:
M.B.Ch.B.-1 and 2
B.D.S.-2
BN-1 & 2
Feedback in the MBChB course is by way of student questionnaires. I am a Facilitator
in MB2 and run a number of Plenaries and Fixed Resource Sessions in MB1 and MB2.
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4. My rating as a Facilitator is always excellent. There has been some negative feedback
on the plenaries and FRS’s over the years (mainly due to the nature of the subject) and
these criticisms have been taken on board and modifications made each year.
Research Activities and Legal Work
I have been an active research scientist since 1973 specialising in the control of liver
function including drug and steroid metabolism, development of a standard method for
isolating hepatocytes (work for European Commission) and diabetes mellitus. I have
been involved in developing novel treatments for diabetes mellitus mainly from plant
sources and have a patent for such issued in my name. I ceased laboratory work in
2000 to concentrate on the educational side and the forensic work noted below. I have
over 100 publications (a full list can be supplied on request).
Since 1991 I have run a company specialising in researching and writing forensic
pharmacology reports for solicitors in both criminal and civil cases. This is now my
full-time occupation. A large part of this work is drink-driving cases where I am asked
to verify the consistency of evidence in defences involving post-incident drinking or no
intention to drive. I am often asked to attend court to speak to my reports. I have been
researching these defences and the nature of the law surrounding drunk driving
particularly as regards the accuracy of the correlation between blood, breath and urine
alcohol concentrations as enshrined in the Road Traffic Act 1988. More recently this
work has expanded to take in drug-driving and I have been active in researching
alternatives to the flawed Field Impairment Test (FIT) to detect drugged drivers.
Other expanding areas include the influence of drugs on the commission of crime and,
in particular, the defence of automatism involving drug use. Again, a fertile area of
research, linking drug use to memory, which I am heavily involved in at present.
I have been appointed to the National Crime Agency (NCA)’s database of experts and
the NHS Litigation Authority list of experts to assist the Police in criminal cases and
NHS defence solicitors in medical negligence cases respectively.
I have written over 1500 court reports and given evidence in court approximately 100
times. I have written reports for both Crown and defence in criminal cases and litigant
and defendant in civil cases and acted as a single joint expert.
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5. Membership of Societies
British Pharmacological Society – Fellow
Royal Society of Forensic Scientists
Biochemical Society
Higher Education Academy – Fellow
UK Register of Expert Witnesses
Law Society of Scotland Register of Expert Witnesses
Awards
European Academic Software Award (1996) – Drug Metabolism courseware.
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6. Membership of Societies
British Pharmacological Society – Fellow
Royal Society of Forensic Scientists
Biochemical Society
Higher Education Academy – Fellow
UK Register of Expert Witnesses
Law Society of Scotland Register of Expert Witnesses
Awards
European Academic Software Award (1996) – Drug Metabolism courseware.
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