Rev. Professor Lesley Stanley

Professor Stanley’s educational background includes First Class Honours in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh and postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the MRC Toxicology Unit and the Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford. Her PhD and postdoctoral research focused on xenobiotic metabolism and mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis.

In 2005, after six years as a key player in the multidisciplinary Biomedical Science team at De Montfort University and three years as Head of Operations at CXR Biosciences Ltd, Dundee, Professor Stanley established her own business as an Independent Consultant in Investigative Toxicology. Since then she has successfully completed numerous consultancy commissions, including:

• Advising the Food Standards Agency on its T01 Research Programme on Risk Assessment of Food Chemicals and Phytoestrogens (2009-2011).
• Conducting a comprehensive review of data on the food additive aspartame to support the EFSA re-evaluation of the safety of this controversial artificial sweetener (EFSA, May 2012).
• Compiling a glossary of scientific terms used in risk assessment for lay audiences (EFSA, January 2015).

Professor Stanley published a single author textbook, Molecular and Cellular Toxicology: An Introduction in 2014 and is currently an Associate of the School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University.

Professor Stanley has been a Panellist of the UK Register of Toxicologists for ten years. She was Vice-Chair from 2012-2015 and Chair for three years to the end of 2018. The Panel oversees the Register’s strategy and regulations. It reviews all applications for membership and 5-yearly renewal.

Professor Stanley is a Eurotox Registered Toxicologist (ERT) and a Fellow of the British Toxicology Society (FBTS).

In November 2018 Professor Stanley was awarded a Fellowship by the British Toxicology Society in recognition of her substantial contributions to the discipline of toxicology and to the work of the Society.

In December 2019 Professor Stanley was appointed to the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC).

She has previously been a member of the Scottish Food Advisory Committee (March 2009 to March 2015), the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (January 2007 to December 2016) and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT; October 2001 to March 2007).

Professor Lesley Stanley was appointed to the ACNFP in July 2016.

Register of interests

An up-to-date record of member interests can be found on the register of interests page.