James Panton (29), who was schooled at Balwearie High in Kirkcaldy, hit the headlines last month when he helped organise the UK's first march in support of vivisection at Oxford University.
Over 1000 people turned up for the demo and Mr Panton, a politics lecturer at Oxford, has spoken exclusively to the Press about the uprise of 'Pro-Test'.
It centres around the construction of a new biomedical research lab at the university, which has been the focus for animal rights campaigners.
Protestors have marched on the half-built lab, while extremists have issued threats and carried out acts of violence in an attempt to pressure Oxford University into abandoning the project.
Builders working on the lab have even resorted to wearing balaclavas to avoid being photographed and possibly targeted for harassment or assault.
Despite the risks, a young student launched his own counter protest, using paper and pen placards, and set-up a website – www.pro-test.org.uk.
Fellow students helped get the movement off the ground and Mr Panton joined up.
"Pro-Test is a case of students getting together and battling against the assumption that horrible things go on behind closed doors in science labs," Mr Panton said.
"Some people view vivisection as scientists playing God, interfering in nature and that because they are in pay of the pharmaceutical companies, we cannot trust them.
"This is very cynical and we need to start arguing against this kind of stance because in reality it's not true.
"Scientists are engaged in it because they are fascinated by it and want to improve human condition. That's what motivates them to get up in the morning.
"Up until now there has been no public debate on the matter because nobody has been willing to put their head above the parapet and explain why vivisection is a good thing.
"Scientists feel intimated by extremists, politicians are not prepared to say something that might be unpopular and even the university itself has been somewhat shy.
''We are aiming to change the current climate."
Mr Panton said he felt almost duty bound to support animal testing as without it, he explained, there may be no medicine to treat his condition.
"I'm a diabetic so without animal testing I would be dead," he said.
"Almost all of us benefit from medication in our daily lives. The question we have to ask is how hypocritical are we prepared to be?"
Despite the risk of becoming a target of animal rights extremists himself, Mr Panton insists he is not concerned.
"There's just a tiny nucleus of extremists, the vast majority of animal rights protestors are peaceful, law-abiding people," he said.
"I support them in their right to protest, I just think they are fundamentally wrong in what they believe.
"Animal rights people have been dominating this discussion for a long time.
''In order to level with them we need to be able to take them on in argument."