I work for the University of Edinburgh and the NHS Lothian. I am an expert in brain blood vessel diseases. My research focuses on preventing, diagnosing, treating and finding out more about the causes of cerebral small vessel disease, stroke and vascular dementia. My research mainly uses different types of brain scanning in people to answer these questions. My previous research led to clot-busting treatments for stroke and better scanning for patients to diagnose the cause of a TIA or stroke, that are now used in guidelines all over the World. Now, I research the causes of, and try to find better treatment for, a very common disease of the tiny blood vessels in the brain, called 'small vessel disease'. This can build up gradually, and can cause small strokes, decline in thinking and memory, problems with mobility, balance and mood, that seriously affect people, their quality of life and independence. My research is already in guidelines on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of small vessel disease and I hope that our current clinical trials will soon give better treatments for many patients around the World. My research is funded by many large UK and international grant-giving organisations and enhanced by many national and international medical and scientific collaborations.