After a very difficult few weeks, I’m heartbroken that my beautiful, loving and wonderful Nan passed away today. Being able to spend most of this week at her bedside meant everything. If roses grow in heaven Lord, please pick a bunch for me. Place them in my Nan’s arms & tell her they’re from me.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom, you were simply the best Mom any son could ever wish for. I miss you more than ever ♥️

A warm sunny welcome to @astonuniversity.bsky.social on today’s Offer Holder Day. Looking forward to meeting those interested in Biosciences🥼🔬🧫🩸🦠

A beautiful run up in the mountains of the Lake District today with friends. Today is my Mum’s birthday, another one without her here. Yet I felt closer to the heavens and therefore closer to her.

Biosciences Offer Holder Day ready 🥼🔬🧫🩸🦠

Dear @history-hit.bsky.social, I’ve been a subscriber for a few years now and love it. I’ve tried several times to request RSS feeds to listen to the podcasts ad-free but nothing is working, even after contacting help and support. Please can you help me? Thanks!

Daily updates on this tiny macaque “Punch” at a zoo in Japan pulls at my heartstrings. After his Mum rejected him, keepers gave him this orang-utan teddy which he drags everywhere and cuddles. Whilst the other monkeys ignored him for a while, today one cuddled him. I nearly burst into tears!

OH NO!!! This is so upsetting — what a brilliant career, what an extraordinary talent we have lost www.tmz.com/2026/01/30/c...

Woke up to the awful news that a friend has taken his own life. I last saw him on NYD at a race and he was the reason I got into fell running. He was so welcoming, so kind, so warm and such wonderful company. I will miss him so very much. If you’re struggling, please, please speak to someone.

Today’s run 🏃🏻❄️🥶

This morning, I very much enjoyed sitting with a 🫖, re-watching one of my favourite @history-hit.bsky.social documentaries, “The Great Crusader Siege: Kerak” with the awesome @thehistoryguy.bsky.social and Prof Jonathan Phillips! ⚔️🏰

Great 2.5 hours trail running in the beautiful, snowy Shropshire hills this morning ❄️🌨️ 🏃🏻🏃🏽‍♂️

Considering my art abilities are zilch, I’m pretty chuffed with this Santa bauble 😅 I’m accepting no comments at this time 😁

Super grateful and excited to be delivering a two hour lecture/workshop to the first year historians at Aston next week! It’ll form a part of their history of medicine and science module. The central focus stems from my interest in looking to the past to identify novel treatments for infection.

A warm welcome to everyone at @astonuniversity.bsky.social attending our #OpenDay! Thinking biosciences? 🔬 Get hands on in our labs, chat with our staff, meet current students & learn more about our accredited Biomedicine, Biochemistry & Biomedical Science degrees🥼🔬🧫🧪🦠🩸🅰️🅱️🆎🅾️

I had a great couple of days at the BSHM Congress earlier this week in Leeds. Such a range of fantastic talks and such friendly delegates. It was great to present some of our recent research too as a poster.

📣Good luck to everyone getting their A level results today! 📄 Thinking of next steps? Biosciences at @AstonUniversity is open in #Clearing. 🥼🔬✨ ✅ Accredited degrees (IBMS/RSB) ✅ Award winning careers & placements team ✅ Gold for Teaching Excellence #ALevelResultsDay

This is brilliant progress, but other cancer research needs funding too. My Mom died 9 months after her lung cancer diagnosis, my grandad 14 months after his. My dad’s brother died 6 months after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis & my cousin (his daughter) died 11 months after her brain tumour diagnosis

Oh Sicily. From your Ancient Greek theatres and temples, to your Roman Mosaics and Gladiator Arenas. From your Medieval Castles to your Baroque Churches - one of which has columns as a former Temple to Athena. Great weather, food and lovely running routes. What a holiday 🇮🇹😊

Oh no, this is really sad ☹️ we must support English Heritage and the National Trust, two wonderful charities who protect and promote our heritage. www.thetimes.com/culture/art/...

New piece of kit has arrived to support the teaching of haematology on our IBMS accredited Biomedical Science degree at Aston University! It will also support research within the College. Super excited to start using it! 🩸🥼 #astonuniversity #haematology

I was an absolutely sweltering race this morning, but it was great running the Wenlock Olympian 7 mile race! Congrats to Bru on 3rd place! 🥵☀️🥳🥉🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏻

Really enjoyed listening to this blooducation podcast this morning on my run. Helen discusses with Adrian Shields common immunological scenarios encountered in haematology 🩸

Earlier start to meet Dad for breakfast. Have a good Thursday all!

Thrilled our poster abstract was accepted for the British Society for the History of Medicine Congress. It draws together Indigenous knowledge with novel antimicrobial testing. Great to collaborate with a historian colleague & include contributions from some of my final year project students.

@rossp22.bsky.social from @astonuniversity.bsky.social talking at #UKSTEMConf25 about interprofessional learning.

Great Tuesday afternoon at @chalkefestival.bsky.social. Talk highlights were Sir Michael Palin discussing his travels and Tom Holland on Suetonius! #history #historyfestival

Lovely late afternoon @chalkefestival.bsky.social yesterday! ‘Chalke for Schools’ this morning, then full days of history from tomorrow through Sunday. Yesterday’s highlight: Gareth Russell and Lucy-Hughes-Halley on King James I’s love life. Roll on this afternoon! Glastonbury for #history lovers 😊

First day of annual leave today. On our drive through Gloucestershire we planned a stop at this medieval beauty. Opened the Norman church door to be greeted by stunning frescoes from 1120 AD—including a vivid Last Judgement scene above the chancel. Just wow! 😍 #KempleyChurch

I wonder how long it will take for the government to care that the higher-education sector is in freefall.

It has been the highlight of my year for the last few years. Super excited for the beginning of chalkefestival.bsky.social tomorrow! 😎🥳

If you’re able to, please consider giving blood, particularly if you’re O neg or African-Carribean🩸🅰️🅱️🆎 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Neighbours birthday party on a Sunday night + early commute as the OH was off to London for work = 😴

A beautiful and historic Sunday. Featuring Erddig (National Trust), Whittington Castle, a beautiful 12th century church, followed by dinner in Shrewsbury.

What a lovely and thoughtful gift from one of my students. Three of my favourite things in one - cats, microbiology and a cuppa! 🐈‍⬛🦠🫖

Great conference today, thanks to the organisers and all the presenters. Leaving with lots of ideas to apply to my own teaching 🥼

It’s nice to have had some rain overnight 🌧️

Great NIHR talk yesterday evening by Dr Peter Rimmer from UHB. His clinical research detailed how changing the microbiome using a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) can help treat inflammatory bowel disease. Brilliant 👏🔬🦠 #biomedical #IBD #gastroenterology #microbiology #CPD

Last night I did my third ever fell race, this time up Caer Caradoc in Church Stretton. It was TOUGH, but so much fun and the views were stunning. The fell race community are so wonderful too ⛰️🌅

Last night I got to use the birthday present my sister very kindly gave me! In the beautiful candlelit setting of St Paul’s Church, we listened to Birmingham’s Sekine Quartet perform music from The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. A brilliant evening 🎻🎼🐉⚔️

What an incredible atmosphere at the Birmingham Half Marathon today, thanks to all the crowds cheering us on and my family too! After months of training, I was determined to finally get under 2 hours. I couldn’t believe I did it in 1:49:14! No wonder I got so emotional at the end 😅🥹😂

My favourite time of year in the garden. Hysteria over the wisteria 💜

What a beautiful Sunday morning

I’ve had the most wholesome birthday today. Started in Waterstones and then with my family at the National Trust 🥹♥️

My grandma gave me this page yesterday from her schoolbook. It details English/British Monarchs. It’s when you turn it over that blows my mind. It says ‘King George VI, 1936-?’ I know my grandma is 91, but the fact it was written before Queen Elizabeth’s reign in 1952 is just…🤯!

Oh Worcester Cathedral on this Easter Sunday ♥️

After a run, I’m not moving far today as I get transported to the ancient world, courtesy of @hughbowden.bsky.social 📜🏛️📚#history #ancient #book

Me and the OH haven’t had chance to spend weekends together for the last month or so, so today’s last minute planned annual leave together was lovely. Highlights included a Bluebell woods, walk along the river, historic floor tiles, an Iron Age fort, cake and coffee.

The countdown is on for this years @chalkefestival.bsky.social (23-29th June) 🥳 I’m excited for a week packed with history talks, living history and performances. It’s been my annual highlight for the last 4 years! With tickets now including everything, it’s going to be extra epic!

One of the greatest of Britons, Dr Bill Frankland was born today in 1912. He died in 2020 at age 108. A survivor of the Japanese POW camps, he was a doctor who worked with Fleming on Penicillin. He never stopped working & published an academic paper at 104 V lucky to meet him in 2019