I met my wife Anne who was a sociology student, and her influence together with activities associated with the student movement of the time opened up my interests amongst other things into the theatre, art, music, politics and philosophy.

Scientific understanding is often beautiful, a profoundly aesthetic experience which gives pleasure not unlike the reading of a great poem.

I was by far the youngest of the family, and at times it was like being an only child.

This possibility bothered me as I thought it was not advisable to remain in one academic environment, and the long dark winters in Edinburgh could be rather dismal.

Some people make a career out of doing one thing, but I wanted to diversify my body of work.

We aspire to be a top performer in every area of our business, and that includes leading in the communities where our employees and their families live and work.

Every interview I've done since I've turned 40, the journalist will say, 'So, isn't it amazing? Your career should be over, but you're still working. Why do you think you have found a career at a time when a lot of women are slowing down?'

Just in any job, if you want to get ahead, take shorter lunch breaks, be happy to stay later, do the work, and finish it off well.