Alan describes himself as a molecular cell biologist who thinks of cells as factories that can be used to manufacture life-changing medicines, including protein-based biopharmaceuticals, viral vectors and modified cells. Working with industrial and academic collaborators, he has developed key advances towards the understanding of how apoptosis, quality control mechanisms and genome localisation of recombinant genes can influence the efficiency of CHO cell systems. His laboratory were very early adopters of the application of ‘omics approaches to provide molecular profiling of CHO cells and how such information could be used to direct cell engineering towards improved manufacturing processes. Alan’s contribution to the sector was recognised by the award of the Peter Dunnill award in 2017. In addition to his research, Alan teaches at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level and has held several senior administrative roles at the University of Manchester.