John obtained his a BSc Honours degree in Biochemistry at the University of Glasgow, which stimulated his interest in receptor proteins and cell signalling. He stayed in Glasgow for his PhD studies in Molecular Biology, funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, investigating how UV/blue light regulates the expression of flavonoid biosynthesis genes in plants. He was especially interested in understanding how proteins known as photoreceptors convert photons of light into molecular signals that trigger a multitude of different physiological processes.

At this time, little was known about the molecular basis of plant UV/blue light receptors. This fascination led him on an academic career to uncover the molecular identity and photochemical properties of these engigmatic photoreceptor proteins. He completed his postdoctoral postion with Winslow Briggs at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Stanford in 2002 and returned to Glasgow to take up a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to continue his research on natural and synthetic photoreceptor systems where he currently holds a professorship in Photobiology.