Chris Chatterton was formerly Genetics Editor at the Progress Educational Trust (PET) and at its free weekly email news digest, commentary service and website BioNews. He remains a Volunteer Writer at BioNews, and is also currently studying for a PhD at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences. His research, conducted under the auspices of the Economic and Social Research Council's Centre for the Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics, focuses on the social and ethical issues surrounding new medical conditions. Previously, he spent several years working as a research scientist at University College London's Institute of Child Health, at Imperial College London's Faculty of Medicine, and at St Mary's Hospital. In these posts, he worked on a number of projects examining genetic susceptibility to disease, including research on metabolic conditions, infectious diseases, asthma and allergy. He has a undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from King's College London, a postgraduate degree in Genetics, Culture and Society from Lancaster University, and a postgraduate degree in Taxonomy and Biodiversity which he obtained while studying at the Natural History Museum. The latter gave him the opportunity to study insects preserved in amber, but unfortunately he was not allowed to look for dinosaur DNA.

Left to right: Dr Anna Smajdor, Chris Chatterton
At the Progress Educational Trust event Gene Hype: Is Human Genetics Oversold or Undervalued?
Photograph by Simon King