Mike graduated from the University of London with a BSc in Comparative Physiology in 1979 with dreams of becoming the next Jacques Cousteau. A final year project on the effects of potassium on the frog heart, however, sparked his interest in cardiac physiology and, as they say, the rest is history! This interest in cardiac electrophysiology and ion regulation was the basis of his PhD at St Thomas’ Hospital (1984), and a subsequent post-doc in California with Donald Bers (1985–88). He was appointed Professor of Cellular Cardiology at King’s College London in 2004. His research interests focus on cellular electrophysiology and Na+ regulation in heart cells. His interest in marine and diving physiology has recently been rekindled by both undergraduate teaching and collaborative projects. He has published over 250 papers, abstracts and reviews.