Michael Byrne

With a BA in Genetics, Michael Byrne trained as a chartered accountant in Ireland, before moving to London and working in senior positions at various large investment banks, subsequently running a head-hunting company.

'I hardly knew anything about the city, so I studied for an MA in London Studies at Birkbeck,' says Michael. 'The degree was totally unrelated to my work, and that was the beauty of it. I enjoyed my Master's, so much that I then took a PhD in the History of Science at Birkbeck.'

Michael’s relationship with the College didn’t end there; at his graduation, Tim O’Shea, the then Master, asked Michael to be a Governor.

'I was a Governor from 2000 to September 2008 and found it very interesting. It was great to contribute to the progress of such a unique institution – there wasn’t a dull moment,' he says.

He also found time to edit a book of essays, St Mary-le-Bow: a History, published in 2007, and, at the same church, he runs the Boyle Lectures on the themes of science and theology.

Continuing his love of learning, Michael is studying for a part-time MLit in Divinity at Cambridge University, alongside his work as the Chief Operating Officer of Principle Search Limited.