Dr Rebecca Butler graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and then undertook a synthetic organic chemistry PhD at the University of Nottingham. She then worked under the supervision of double Nobel laureate Prof K. Barry Sharpless at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, after which Rebecca joined Novartis as a medicinal chemistry working towards new therapies for respiratory conditions. She is very proud that one of the projects she worked on reached phase 3 clinical trials. Just over a decade ago Rebecca moved into academia, initially at the University of Wolverhampton and then moved to Coventry University. During this time she has developed a passion for learning and teaching and now holds the role of Academic Dean and Head of College in the College of Engineering, Environment and Science.