Dr Simon Raybould started his career as a research scientist looking at the causes of childhood cancers. He spent more than two decades in research, gaining an international reputation and being published in a remarkably wide range of journals. The greater part of his research was directly policy-orientated and he became interested in how scientific research is communicated, explained and applied (or not!). To that end, he left research to concentrate on explaining research to people in the 'real world' so that they can benefit from what scientists already know but haven't got around to telling people!

Now, Simon is a full-time trainer, specializing in helping people make better presentations. He's worked throughout the UK and abroad, with clients ranging from solo entrepreneurs to top staff at Dunlop and Dell Computers and from NHS personnel to politicians and researchers.

Simon's varied and unconventional career path has included working as a teacher (though not very much and for not very long); as an actor, playwright and author; as a lighting designer, specializing in dance productions; and as a fire-eater!

An adopted Geordie, Simon lives in the North-East of England with his wife, Corinne, and two daughters.