Dr Murray has been a Lecturer in Computing at the University of Dundee for over 15 years. His main research interest is in the naturalness of synthesised speech, and he has many academic publications in this area. He was awarded the Association's Brunel Lectureship in 1994 for a lecture entitled “Speaking with Machines” and has given many other public lectures. He was a member of the 1995 Wolfendale Committee, which investigated scientists’ contribution to public understanding of science. His first book, a popular science book on the work of Sir Barnes Wallis, will be published in 2009.

He has been in the Tayside & Fife Branch of the British Science Association for 15 years, and is currently its Chairman; the Branch organises a successful annual Public Lecture series and a programme of other events, including Theme Days on science topics for secondary school pupils.