Having completed a postgrad in Biomedical Science, Gillian started out in Pharmacology research in the University of Dundee before moving to Inverness in 1996 where her work In Life Sciences continued, first in medical device development, then as Project Director at the Centre for Health Science and laterally in rural health research for the University of Aberdeen. She is currently the Head of Innovation and Technology at Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is responsible for the delivery of innovation support to businesses across the North of Scotland. She has a keen interest in the role academia plays in driving innovation and entrepreneurship in the wider economy and is currently on the Board of Management for Inverness College, UHI. In her spare time, she is learning to play the piano and is a flautist in a local orchestra.