Alastair is the Director of NovoPath (MRC/EPSRC Molecular Pathology Node), Vice Chair of the Innovation Board of Integrated Covid Hub North East, and Theme Lead for Precision Medicine, Genomics and Informatics in Newcastle University.

Alastair has a longstanding interest in the pathogenesis of liver fibrogenesis and was one of the first to identify a central role for hepatic stellate cells. His research has also had a strong translational component, for which he collaborates closely with the Newcastle BRC’s Liver Disease Research Theme.

In recent years Alastair has been particularly focussed on mechanisms and assessment of fatty liver disease, having played a key role in large EU programs on fatty liver disease (FLIP and LITMUS).

His interest in AI has recently further broadened with a contribution to a NIHR funded study on polypharmacy and multiple long-term conditions and with the development of AI algorithms for improving the assessment of fatty liver using digital pathology.