Jay graduated from Queen Elizabeth College, University of London with a BSc Honours degree in Biochemistry and Physiology and then gained a PhD in 1984 in Molecular Biology at Queen Elizabeth College (Kings College London). He took up a postdoctoral position Professor Tim Hardingham in the Department of Biochemistry at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London to pursue interests in the molecular changes in articular cartilage with ageing and in osteoarthritis, and the cloning and sequencing of a number of extracellular matrix proteins. In 1997 he joined The Royal Veterinary College as a Senior Research Fellow to continue studies on articular and intervertebral disc cartilages in Professor Mike Bayliss' group in the Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences. It was at this time that his research interest into tendon disease in the horse developed in collaborative work with Professor Roger Smith to investigate markers of early tendon disease. In 2003 he moved to the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences to continue work on age- and exercise-induced mechanisms of tendon disease and the opportunity to work closely with the Equine Clinic has led to developing an interest in stem cell research and the application of this technology in Clinic. Jay's research on osteoarthritis has continued and he is currently developing Raman spectroscopy as a minimally invasive method of assessing early cartilage disease. He holds an Honorary Senior Lectureship at University College London. He is a member of a number of national societies including the British Society for Matrix Biology where he has previously served as a Committee and Board Member, the Tissue and Cell Engineering Society and the British Society for Cell Biology. He is an Editorial Board Member of the Open Geriatric Medicine Journal. He also acts as a Consultant to Industry and academic Institutions in the area of genetic modified organisms (GMOs) and related health and safety aspects.

The main area of Jay's research is on the extracellular matrices of articular cartilage and tendons and the mechanisms of ageing and exercise that lead to osteoarthritis and tendinopathy. His research in osteoarthritis has concentrated on the disease in man and has recently been investigating the potential of Raman spectroscopy to assess molecular alterations of the cartilage in very early disease prior to signs of erosion. This work has led to Jay leading a pilot clinical trial in which the successfully technology was applied via minimally invasive surgery in the knees of osteoarthritis patients. Together with collaborators at University College London and Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College, this technology is now being taken forward for further technological and commercial development. His research on tendon has two aims: identifying disease mechanisms and developing clinical application of stem cell based therapies. A major part of this research is in tendinitis occurring in athletic horses and he also is developing serological markers of the disease with equine clinical colleagues.