Dr. Stephen Campbell Roy from the green and pleasant Scottish town of Maybole in Ayreshire, received his secondary education at the Carrick Academy, and then studied chemistry at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh where he was awarded a BSc (Hons.) in 1991. Moving to St Andrews University, Fife he studied electro-chemistry and in 1994 was awarded his PhD. He then moved to Newcastle University for work in postdoctoral research until 1997. Then to Manchester University as a temporary Lecturer in Chemistry to teach electrochemistry and computer modelling to undergraduates.