Stephen retired from Rothamsted Research in 2015 and now operates independently as Stephen Moss Consulting. Having studied agriculture at Wye College, University of London in 1972, he worked as a nematologist before moving in to weed research in 1975. Prior to starting work at Rothamsted Research in 1990, where he gained his PhD, Stephen worked for the Weed Research Organization and at Long Ashton Research Station.

His research includes the agro-ecology of grass-weeds, factors affecting herbicide performance, herbicide resistance and integrated control strategies. Stephen has published over 250 research papers, book chapters and technical reports, along with contributing to over 350 articles in the popular farming press as well as countless talks, demonstrating the importance he attaches to active knowledge transfer.