Renowned for its number of lawyers, the House of Commons welcomed the engineering expertise of Claire Curtis-Thomas. In fact, the MP for Crosby, Merseyside, is the first woman professional engineer to enter the House of Commons in the history of the British Parliament.

Married with three children, Claire has twenty years' experience working in engineering and industry. She was Dean of the Faculty of Business and Engineering at the University of Wales, Newport, and Head of Research and Development Laboratories with Birmingham City Council. In the private sector she was Manager of Environmental Affairs at Shell Chemicals UK Ltd. She is also a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Because Claire is familiar with the different requirements of both the public and private sector she is an invaluable member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. The Committee has a key role in advising the Government on the strategic issues and developments associated with science, engineering and technology. Claire is able to draw on both her engineering background where research and development are major elements, and her business knowledge of strategic planning and logistics within large international companies.

Outside Parliament she is the founder and President of SETup, an educational charity that represents science, engineering and technology-related industries. Its purpose is to place science at the heart of thinking and debate about how best to exploit the UK's economic and creative potential.