John Cherrie is Emeritus Professor of Human Health at Heriot-Watt University and was formally Research Director at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) in Edinburgh, UK. He is a professional occupational hygienist who has worked on numerous multidisciplinary research studies involving measurement and modelling of exposure to chemicals and other environmental hazards.

He has a particular interest in the causes and impact of workplace cancers and has provided advice on these issues to the British Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to the European Union and to the Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Institute (WHSI). John has also worked on air pollution research in Thailand and China and on various workplace epidemiological studies, including the HEADING study, which is investigating brain health of former professional soccer players, and on a study of cancer risks amongst former workers in the British rubber manufacturing industry.

Recently, he has been working on research to understand how best to communicate with outdoor construction workers to optimise their exposure to ultraviolet radiation; to ensure enough exposure to produce the vitamin D necessary for good health but less than would increase the risk of skin cancer. This project has involved close collaboration with occupational psychologists, epidemiologists, and IT developers. John also is a member of the British Workplace Health Expert Committee and the government Industrial Injuries Advisory Council.