Oliver Flint joined the Choral Society as a baritone after moving to Pennsylvania over 11 years ago. Oliver has been singing since his first lessons as a boy soprano. As an undergraduate at Cambridge, reading Natural Sciences, Oliver sang with his college chapel choir, under the leadership of the medieval scholar, Dr John Stevens. Later, while completing a PhD in embryology at Glasgow University, Oliver sang with the University Chapel choir, and since then Oliver has had the opportunity of singing with a number of choirs, large and small, and the privilege of learning by osmosis from the many skilled singers around him.

Oliver has pursued a career in science since leaving University, and for the past thirty years has been employed in research in the drug industry. His initial work was aimed at reducing our need for animals in research, designing new cell-based assays that predict the risk of chemical toxicity. This approach required an understanding of the mechanisms by which drugs might cause harm, and this led to a number of insights including, for example, explanations of the unwanted side-effects of drugs used in the treatment of HIV. Currently, Oliver is working to reduce the side effects of drugs used in the treatment of cancer, and also on the risk assessment of new drugs for the treatment of diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Oliver was elected President of the Choral Society in June of 2010, having served as Vice President since 2008.

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