I completed my PhD at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Professor Ruth Andrew, where I investigated how glucocorticoid metabolism influences inflammation. This work laid the foundation for a research career focused on the intersection of endocrinology, metabolism, and cardiovascular health. In 2012, I moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to pursue postdoctoral training with Professor Rebecca Berdeaux in the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology. There, I identified a novel role for the AMPK-related kinase SIK1 in regulating glucose homeostasis in the context of obesity, deepening my interest in the molecular mechanisms that link metabolic stress to systemic disease. Returning to Edinburgh in 2014, I joined Professor Brian Walker’s group at the Centre for Cardiovascular Science, where I uncovered a new function for the transmembrane exporter ABCC1 in controlling glucocorticoid access to adipose tissue. This discovery advanced our understanding of how tissue-specific regulation of steroid hormones shapes metabolic outcomes. In 2018, I was awarded a BHF Basic Science Intermediate Research Fellowship to establish my own research group, focusing on how cleavage of corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) influences adipose glucocorticoid delivery in obesity. Now a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, my lab’s research challenges the traditional view that circulating glucocorticoid levels alone determine biological outcomes. By uncovering local, tissue-specific mechanisms of glucocorticoid action, we are helping to redefine the field and identify new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Through integrative studies in both preclinical models and human cohorts, we aim to clarify the pathways driving cardiometabolic complications and inform the development of more precise, tissue-targeted treatment strategies. See more about my lab on our website: https://www.edinburghmetabolism.co.uk/mark-nixon.