Susan Wray

Susan Wray is a Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the School of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool. She serves as Director of the Centre for Better Births and Co-Director of the Harris/WoW Centre for Preterm Birth Research, focusing on uterine physiology to improve pregnancy outcomes globally. Her academic career spans over three decades at the University of Liverpool, where she was appointed to a personal chair in 1996 and served as Head of Department (2004-2008).

• University of Liverpool
• Centre for Better Births
• Harris/WoW Centre for Preterm Birth Research

She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2002) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2006). She received the Joan Mott Prize Lecture (2006), a Wolfson Foundation Award (2009), and recognition as a Liverpool Knowledge Hero (2012). Her research bridges smooth muscle physiology, cell signaling, and obstetric challenges including preterm birth and obesity-related complications.

• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
• Honorary Fellow of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG)
• Joan Mott Prize Lecture (2006)
• Wolfson Foundation Award (2009)
• Liverpool Knowledge Hero (Echo, 2012)

Wray's work includes extensive grant funding from organizations like the British Heart Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, and Department of Health & Social Care. She has supervised numerous PhD students, exploring topics such as extracellular acidification, hypoxia, hydrogen sulfide, and prostaglandin effects on uterine contractility.

She is a dedicated advocate for gender equality, serving as the University’s Director for Gender Equality via the Athena SWAN Charter. A skilled communicator, she has appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live, Woman’s Hour, and contributes to public science through media engagement and the BA Festival of Science presentation 'Womb Wars'.