Stephen Caddick carried out his undergraduate degree at Paisley College and then part-time (GRSC) whilst working for FBC Ltd/Schering at Chesterford Park Research Station. In 1986 he moved to the University of Southampton to work with P.J.Parsons for a PhD. In 1989 he gained a PhD degree and moved to Imperial College London to work with W.B.Motherwell on alkoloid and carbohydrate synthesis. In 1991 he was appointed to a lectureship at Birkbeck College. In 1993 he moved to the University of Sussex as a lecturer (1993-1997), senior lecturer (1997-2002) and professor (2003). He joined the staff at UCL as Charles Vernon Professor of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology in October 2003.