[8] He then read for his Doctor of Philosophy degree at University of Oxford on Mechanistic studies on isopenicillin N synthase and successfully completed it in 1985.
[11] Upon completing his PhD, Turner spent two years (1985 - 1987) with George M. Whitesides at Harvard University as a Royal Society Junior Research Fellow.
[9][10] Turner is the Director of CoEBio3, an organization designed to provide scientific environment in which the necessary research and development can be carried out to create new biocatalyst-based processes to meet the changing needs of industry in the next 10–20 years.
[18][19][20] His group combine enzyme discovery with protein engineering and directed evolution methods in order to develop biocatalysts with tailored properties including high (stereo)selectivity, improved activity and enhanced stability.
These biocatalysts, which include amine/alcohol oxidases, imine reductases, lyases, transaminases and monooxygenases, are then applied to the synthesis of a range of target molecules especially pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.