Transparency data: Animals in Science Regulation Governance Board: member biographies

Cathy Merry is Professor of Stem Cell Glycobiology at the Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, with an area of expertise in matrix biology. Cathy trained as a biochemist, completing both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Manchester. She now leads a lively, dynamic, interdisciplinary research group that is discovering previously unknown mechanistic regulation of cell behaviour by glycans in health and disease and, more broadly, the role of the pericellular matrix in controlling cell behaviour. To do this, her group create stem cell-based tools and novel 3D culture environments that now support large collaborative research projects in cancer and inherited rare disease modelling. 

Cathy is the deputy associate pro-vice chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange in the Nottingham University Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, with a particular interest in improving research culture and creating an inclusive research environment. She currently sits on the board of the National Centre for the Refinement, Replacement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in the UK, as well as being a member of the BBSRC Knowledge Exchange, Translation and Commercialisation (KETC) College. She is passionate about improving the quality of in vitro alternatives to the use of animals in research. In 2023, Cathy founded a spin-out company, Peptimatrix, providing high-quality, non-animal derived in vitro matrices. 

Steven is an academic researcher working at the interface of animal health, epidemiology, and applied One Health systems. His work examines how infectious diseases, management practices, and environmental factors interact within livestock production systems, with a particular focus on dairy cattle. Combining quantitative epidemiology, microbiome science, sensor technologies, and field-based studies, he explores how biological processes and management decisions shape animal health, productivity, and antimicrobial use.