Professor Barratt is Head of the Reproductive Medicine Group at the University of Dundee as well as a clinical scientist (Hon) with NHS Tayside. He graduated with an Honours degree in Zoology and then completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (University of Wales, Swansea). His PhD, also in Zoology, was under the supervision of Jack Cohen at the University of Birmingham.

His formative post-doctoral studies and ART experience was gained at the University of Sheffield [with Ian Cooke] where they specialized in natural cycle IVF. From 1997-2005 he was the Scientific Director of the ART Centre at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital.

Professor Barratt has been awarded a number of honors for outstanding contributions to the discipline e.g. Young Andrologist of the Year (American Andrology Society), the Professor Sir Robert Edwards keynote lecture at ESHRE. He was awarded a DSc from University of Birmingham and has a h index of 62. Professor Barratt is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

He is a regularly invited speaker at national and international scientific conferences/workshops. He was a member of the WHO Male Fertility Semen Analysis Taskforce (for both the 4th and 5th editions) and director of the WHO (2012-2017) Male Fertility Expert Working Group which devised a new system for the diagnosis and treatment of the infertile male. He was a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for 6 years until 2009.

Professor Barratt has been appointed to editorial board of WHO for development of new Semen Analysis manual (6th edition, publication date late 2021). He recently published the global WHO guidelines for semen reference ranges.

He has been on the Editorial Board of Human Reproduction, Human Fertility, Biology of Reproduction, Human Reproduction Update, Journal of Andrology and was Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Human Reproduction  from 2013-2018.  

He is a member of the reviewing editors for Science (AAAS) https://www.science.org/ 

He is Co Editor in Chief of Human Reproduction Human Reproduction | Oxford Academic

Professor Barratt is helping coordinating the Global Initiative on Male Reproductive Health.

We are primarily focused on understanding the function of the human spermatozoa and identifying the key factors in the process of sperm egg interation.

Our research uses cutting edge technology combined with selected samples from patients with well-defined pathology. As such the research has a very strong translational focus.

Our primary collaborators in Dundee are the IVF clinic at NHS Tayside, Abertay University's Dr Sean Brown, Professor Ian Gilbert  (Drug Discovery Unit, SLS), and Professor Jason Swedlow  (National Phenotypic Screening Centre, SLS)

We are funded by NHS Tayside, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

We regularly contribute to public debates on reproductive issues:  BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Chris Barratt on head-banging sperm and a future male contraceptive pill

Patents

• Inventor: Barratt C (CMDN) & Wyatt PG (CLS) ‘Stimulation of human sperm motility’. International application number: PCT/GB2012/052514. Publication number WO/2013/054111. Publication date 18th April 2013.
• Inventor: Genosis & Barratt C ‘Method and detection kit for male infertility’ 1999. WO/99066331

Professor Barratt has supervised 29 MSc, PhD, MD students almost all of whom work in in the field of reproductive medicine.

His teaching consists of:

Supervisor: 9 MSc/PhD students

Leader: SSC in Stem Cells and Assisted Conception

Leader: Human Reproduction, Assisted Conception and Embryonic Stem Cells BMSc

Leader: Human Clinical Embryology and Assisted Conception MSc.
 
External examiner (previous) 

•    Quinquennial Review MSc for ART at University of Oxford (2014).
•    MSc for Reproductive and Developmental Biology at University of Edinburgh (2009-2013).
•    United Arab Emirates Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (2012-2013).
•    3rd year Reproductive Biology course at University of Edinburgh (2015-16).
•    Endocrine and Reproduction Course (MDSC 2101) University West Indies 2014-2017.
•    University of Nottingham (2004-2006).
•    MSc in Embryology at the University of Leeds (2002-2004).
•    MSc ART University of Bristol (2002-2005).