Rob is Professor of Breast Biology and Director of the Manchester Breast Centre, which comprises more than 40 academics active in breast research. Rob established the Breast Biology Group that he has led for the last 24 years. He is a co-founder of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer (ENBDC) and the EuroPDX Consortium. Recent research includes the discovery of the importance of paracrine signalling downstream of estrogen and progesterone in normal breast relevant to prevention and establishing the roles of stem cell signalling pathways including cytokines from the microenvironment in breast cancer metastasis. Key findings from these areas of research will be presented.