Craig Stevens

Dr. Craig Stevens is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator in the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU), where he focuses on both research and teaching in biomedical sciences. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry from Heriot-Watt University and a PhD from the University of Glasgow, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine (IGMM). His research group investigates autophagy’s role in Crohn’s disease, drug mechanisms in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and host defense peptides’ therapeutic potential.

Dr. Stevens has secured funding from organizations such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), Chief Scientist Office (CSO), and Crohn's in Childhood Research Association (CICRA). His collaborative networks include teams at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, University of Oxford, and within ENU with Dr. Peter Barlow. Key research themes involve translational medicine, drug efficacy assessment, and novel peptide therapeutics for IBD and cancer.

His expertise spans immunology, infection biology, and molecular pathways. Recent work includes characterizing thiopurine drugs’ effects on autophagy in macrophages and designing legumain-based probes for prostate cancer diagnosis. He serves on editorial boards, presents at international conferences (e.g., ECCO, EMBO), and engages in public outreach with CICRA and STEM ambassador programs.

Grants include studies on cathelicidin antivirals for dengue and rhinovirus, osteoarthritis models, and pediatric IBD drug efficacy. Supervised students have explored topics like vimentin’s role in Crohn’s disease, autophagy modulation by IBD drugs, and 3D bone-cartilage crosstalk models.