The successful translation of scientific endeavour into commercial opportunities has been the focus of my entire career and remains a very rewarding goal.
My experience has been gained through 20+ years as a research scientist in the personal care Industry within Unilever where I developed a lifelong love of the hair follicle. I have been fortunate to be in a position to lead academic research programmes and University collaborations as well as work with colleagues in technical marketing,
More recently I have been able to appreciate, first hand, the key role Universities play in engagement with business and through knowledge exchange and the importance of these relationships to small and large companies.
I continue to provide specialised consultancy in the many opportunities to be gained by manipulating the hair follicle and in evaluation and interpretation of clinical data.
I give lectures on hair and scalp biology for undergraduates and professionals in the personal care industry and have been associated with the European Hair Research Society for several years, and am currently Secretary to the Board.
Centre for Skin Sciences
| Name | Dr Gill Westgate |  |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Business Development Manager | |
| School | School of Life Sciences | |
| Research Area | Cutaneous Biology | |
| Room and Building | C21 | |
| Telephone | +44 (0) 7736 679770 | |
| g.westgate@bradford.ac.uk | ||
| Research and Knowledge Transfer Centre | Centre for Skin Sciences |
Biography
Graduated from
- University of Edinburgh, BSc Hons Biochemistry, 1981
- Univeristy of Utrecht, PhD. Regulation of Hair Growth and Cycling; 1997
- Unilever Research 1981-2002
Professional Activities (University)
- Business Development for Centre for Skin Sciences
Professional Activities (External)
- President of the European Hair Research Society (2011-2014)
- Member of organising committee for the 7th World Congress of Hair Research, 2013, Edinburgh UK.
- Member of Society for Investigative Dermatolgy
- Member British Society for Investigative Dermatology
Research
General Research Areas
Areas of Expertise
- Specialist in the skin sciences
- Direct experience in technical translation of science to products within the personal care sector.
- Consultant to industry and very well known in the field of hair biology.
- Knowledge transfer and building relationships between industry and academia
Outline of Research
Recent publications
Kauser S, Westgate GE, Green MR and Tobin DJ. Human Hair Follicle and Epidermal Melanocytes Exhibit Striking Differences in Their Aging Profile which Involves Catalase. J Invest Dermatol 131, 979-982 (April 2011)http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v131/n4/full/jid2010397a.html
Higgins CA, Richardson GD, Ferdinando D, Westgate GE, Jahoda CA. Modelling the hair follicle dermal papilla using spheroid cell cultures. Exp Dermatol. 2010 Jun;19(6):546-8. Epub 2010 Apr 20.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20456497
Higgins CA, Richardson GD, Westgate GE, Jahoda CA. Exogen involves gradual release of the hair club fibre in the vibrissa follicle model. Exp Dermatol. 2009 Sep;18(9):793-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19695019
Higgins CA, Westgate GE, Jahoda CA. From telogen to exogen: mechanisms underlying formation and subsequent loss of the hair club fiber. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Sep;129(9):2100-8. Epub 2009 Apr 2. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19340011
Find out more
To find out more about collaborating with the Centre for Skin Sciences please contact:
Tel: +44(0)1274 235381
Fax +44(0)1274 232225
Centre Key Contacts
Desmond J. Tobin (Director)
Vladimir A. Botchkarev (Associate Director - Scientific)
Karin U. Schallreuter (Associate Director - Clinical)
Gill Westgate (Business Development Manager)
