Gillian Best is a philanthropy writer at UCL, and has previously worked at King's College London and the University of Cambridge. Her debut novel, The Last Wave, was shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Award and she holds a PhD in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of Glasgow. Originally from Waterloo, Canada, Gillian lives in Bristol. She has ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, Raynaud's, and is hearing-impaired.