Adam Roberts took an M.A. in English and classics from Aberdeen University and a Ph.D. in the same field from Cambridge (“took” in the sense of “studied for and paid all the fees”; not “stole”—that would be morally wrong). Now he works as a writer of science fiction and sometimes teaches at the University of London (“teaches” in the sense of “participates in a cartoony battle of good against evil through the medium of lectures and seminars”).