Simon completed his undergraduate medical studies at the University of Dundee. He undertook specialist training in medical microbiology in the North East of England and during this time completed a PhD, focusing on the folate pathway and drug discovery in African trypanosomiasis. He has worked as a microbiology consultant in NHS Lothian since 2019 and is currently the clinical lead for Lothian’s antimicrobial management team and an honorary lecturer University of Edinburgh.