Gill Westgate PhD; Business Manager, Centre for Skin Sciences, University of Bradford, UK; Director, Gill Westgate Consultancy Ltd
Dr. Westgate has a degree in Biochemistry and obtained her PhD in 1997 studying hair follicle biology, for which she is now internationally recognized as an expert. She began her career in the cosmetics and personal care industry at Unilever Research in the UK, where she led their scalp and hair biology research program for many years. During this time she developed many in vitro models that provided both fundamental understanding of the regulation of hair growth as well as producing scientific claims support for several global brands. Dr. Westgate has an established consultancy business, combining her experience and knowledge of skin and hair science with the needs of R&D in Industry. More recently, Dr. Westgate helped establish the Centre for Skin Sciences (CSS), a major centre of excellence for skin and hair research at the University of Bradford, UK. Her role in the CSS is developing sustainable partnerships between industry and academic researchers and to help translate science into commercial opportunities. Dr Westgate is a past Secretary and President of the European Hair Research Society and she regularly serves on the organizing committees for UK and international conferences. She continues to publish articles on various aspects of hair biology and to share her knowledge at conferences and industry-sponsored educational courses.