Professor Anne Stephenson's academic career began with a MA degree in Natural Sciences (chemistry) from the University of Cambridge. She then studied for an MSc in Neurochemistry at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. This led to a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Bath where her thesis work was on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and its role in myasthenia gravis. Following post-doctoral work at the University of California with Professor Richard Olsen where she began her study of the GABA-A receptors, she joined the group of Professor Eric Barnard FRS in the Department of Biochemistry Imperial College, London as an MRC Training Fellow.

In 1983, whilst still at Imperial College, Professor Stephenson was one of the first recipients of a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. She moved with Professor Barnard to the MRC Molecular Neurobiology Unit in Cambridge where she was a member of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge.

In 1989, she joined The School of Pharmacy as a Lecturer still holding her Royal Society Fellowship. Anne was appointed Professor of Molecular Neuroscience in 1995. She has served on the British Neuroscience Association Committee, the Neurochemical Group of the Biochemical Society, the Editorial Board of the Biochemical Journal, Molecular Membrane Biology and the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the BBSRC Biochemistry and Cell Biology Board, the MRC College of Experts and the Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences Committee of The Wellcome Trust. Anne is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry.