Professor Nicholas Skinner was an astronomer at the Tycho Project's radio telescope in the rural English village of Goblin's Copse.
He had a daughter, Lucy, whom he hoped would follow him into the field of astronomy, instead of being a chemist like her mother.
In 2009, Professor Skinner was captured by Commander Kaagh, a Sontaran determined to avenge his people's defeat, and forced to do Kaagh's bidding by a control implant. He was freed by the actions of Sarah Jane Smith and her friends. (TV: The Last Sontaran)
Professor Skinner and his daughter stayed in contact with Sarah Jane and her team. They went to Luke Smith's second farewell party before he went to the University of Oxford. (PROSE: The Nightmare Man)