Dr Matthew Winter

I am an Associate Professor of Translational Toxicology and Pharmacology and Royal Society Industry Fellow based in Biosciences at the University of Exeter. After 11 years spent in the pharmaceutical industry where I was the AstraZeneca global technical lead for zebrafish work, I moved to the University of Exeter in 2014, where I continued research focussed on the development and application of zebrafish-based approaches in drug discovery, and studies on the effects of human pharmaceuticals in the environment also using zebrafish as a model. I have collaborated extensively with Industry partners including on projects using zebrafish to assess new drug safety and efficacy across multiple organ systems, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in zebrafish to support new drug target validation, and on the use of functional brain imaging in zebrafish as an alterative model in defence research. My current research interests include: zebrafish models of human heart failure and chronic kidney disease, neurodevelopmental impacts of chemicals in the environment, and modelling seizures and epilepsy using functional brain imaging in zebrafish. I also have a particular passion for widening participation (WP) for underrepresented groups in STEM, and am academic co-lead for WP in Biosciences, annually organising and participating in a number of WP-focussed outreach activities within the University and beyond. 

Career:

June 2023 - present: Associate Professor in Translational Toxicology and Pharmacology, Biosciences, University of Exeter

May 2022 - present: Royal Society Industry Fellow, University of Exeter and AstraZeneca

March 2020 - June 2021: Royal Society Short Industry Fellow, University of Exeter and AstraZeneca

June 2014 - 2023: Senior Research Fellow, Biosciences, University of Exeter

2009-2014: Associate Principle Scientist, Safety, Health and Environment, AstraZeneca, Brixham Laboratory

2005-2009: Senior Scientist, Safety, Health and Environment, AstraZeneca, Brixham Laboratory

2003-2005: Research Environmental Toxicologist, AstraZeneca, Brixham Laboratory

2000-2003: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Toxicology, The University of Birmingham

1999-2000: Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, Endocrinology, The University of Manchester

Qualifications:

2015: Post graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy)

1996–1999: Ph.D., Environmental Physiology (endocrinology). The University of Manchester

1992-1995: B.Sc. (Hons) Oceanography with Marine Biology. The University of Southampton