Michael was born some years ago. In 2005, he attained a first-class honours degree (MSci) in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University of Durham. In early 2009 he attained a PhD in theoretical chemistry, also from Durham. He has worked as a post-doctoral researcher in Berlin with Prof Hardy Gross (now of the MPI Halle), and in the Department of Chemistry at Durham University, UK, with Prof David Tozer.

In January 2013, Michael started his current post as a Lecturer in Chemistry, at the recently opened Department of Chemistry, Lancaster University.

Michael's research interests are predominantly in the field of electronic structure theory, and encompass density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and wavefunction-based methods for solving the electronic Schrödinger equation. He has (so far) published 21 papers in high quality peer-reviewed Physical Chemistry/ Chemical Physics journals. His papers have received over 950 citations; in particular the 2008 paper Excitation energies in DFT: An evaluation and a diagnostic test has received in excess of 400 citations. His Hirsch h-index is currently 11. Part of his current work involves collaboration with experimental chemists (particularly the group of Gareth Williams, Durham), in the application of electronic structure theory to luminescent transition metal complexes.

Michael also co-organised a major international conference, with over 200 participants, on DFT and its Applications, held in Durham in September 2013; see dft2013.org for more details, and is guest editor of a special edition of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, PCCP, which will be published in 2014.