NIHR Research Professorships – Round 1, 2011

Launched – 22nd July 2011; Closed – 21st September 2011.

59 applications received.

Shortlisting October 2011; 11 invited to interview on 8th December 2011 in London.
The details of the eight successful nominees are below:
Name
Professor James Bainbridge
University College
London/Moorfields
Research Area
Ophthalmology
Professor Nadine Foster
Keele University
Musculoskeletal,
Physiotherapy
Research Project
Prevent blinding retinal diseases by developing effective new
treatments including gene and cell therapies.
The majority of people with sight impairment are affected by disorders of the
retina, which is the layer of light-sensitive nerves in the eye. Professor
Bainbridge aims to develop effective new treatments, including gene therapy
and cell transplantation surgery.
Ensure GPs and Physiotherapists offer treatments and services that
help people with musculoskeletal pain and disability, so they can cope
with and reduce pain, preventing common joint and back pain from
restricting their lives.
Professor Foster's research will support the development, piloting and testing
of treatments and services for common and costly musculoskeletal problems
in primary care, including lower back, knee and shoulder pain. She will
develop and test the clinical and cost-effectiveness of different treatments
and services, including early identification of musculoskeletal problems,
support for patients of working age and approaches that better match patients
to the right treatments.
Professor David Jayne
University of Leeds
Colorectal Surgery
Develop better bowel cancer treatments, via translational research, into
new surgical techniques including robotics, biosensors and
fluorescence guided surgery.
Professor Jayne's research focuses on new developments in minimally
invasive surgery with the aim of bringing innovation in engineering and the
biological sciences from "theory to theatre". In this he hopes to advance
current surgical approaches to cancer for the benefit of patients and
healthcare providers.
Dr Marian Knight
University of Oxford
Perinatal Health Services
Research
Improve outcomes for infants following surgery in the first year of life
by enhancing the evidence base for choice of surgical strategies.
Dr Knight will lead research aiming to improve care for pregnant women and
babies with life threatening illnesses, particularly focusing on helping babies
to recover from early surgery.
Professor Louise Robinson
Newcastle University
Mental Health, Neurology
Improve the health and wellbeing of older people and the quality of
community care they receive, especially for people living with dementia.
Dementia presents one of the major care challenges for the 21st
century. Professor Robinson's research aims to improve the quality of
community care for people with dementia and create a skilled and motivated
NHS workforce to deliver such care.
Professor Anne Schilder
University College London
ENT, Health
Services Research
Develop the evidence base for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) medicine and
surgery, ensuring new and current treatments in ENT are tested and
evaluated so that patients can benefit from the best treatments in the
field.
ENT problems such as hearing loss, dizziness and sinus and ear infections
are amongst the most common health problems affecting people of all
ages. Up until now, little rigorous research has been done into exactly how
effective treatments for ENT conditions are. Professor Schilder will be leading
a programme of clinical trials across the UK to test and evaluate new and
current treatments in ENT.
Dr David Sharp
Imperial College London
Neurology (Traumatic Brain
Injury)
Improve recovery from traumatic brain injury by enhancing the function
of intact brain regions so people can regain independence and improve
their quality of life.
Dr Sharp's research focuses on diagnosing and treating the effects of head
injury on the brain. He works with civilians and soldiers, aiming to minimise
the long-term disability that traumatic brain injury often produces. His
research will allow treatment to be targeted and recovery enhanced.
Professor Justin Stebbing
Imperial College London
Oncology
Translate findings from basic cell biology science into new treatments
for cancer.
Professor Stebbing's research will help people living with cancer to have a
better quality of life, by overcoming resistance to chemotherapy and
hormonal therapy. His research aims to integrate laboratory science and
clinical work to produce newer targeted therapies by utilising a new approach
that focuses on a newly identified genetic tumour signature.
NIHR Research Professorships – Round 2, 2012

Launched – 15th February 2012; Closed – 3rd April 2012 at 5pm.

A maximum of two nominations were accepted per institution. Partnerships were kindly asked not to re-nominate those who had been
unsuccessful in Round 1, unless they had been specifically asked to do so by the panel, via NIHR. 26 nominations were received.

Shortlisting – 29th June 2012; 11 invited to interview on 24th and 25th September 2012 in London.
The details of the five successful nominees are below:
Name
Professor Ashley Adamson
Newcastle University
Research Area
Obesity, Dietician
Research Project
Prevention of obesity at family, community and national level and
treatment of obesity in individuals.
Obesity is one of the major public health challenges facing the UK. Professor
Adamson’s research aims to contribute to prevention of overweight and
obesity and to the treatment of obesity. Her research will explore changing
eating behaviour in population settings, supporting individual behaviour
change and gathering evidence to inform policy by robust evaluation of dietary
interventions.
Dr Rebecca Fitzgerald
University of Cambridge
Oesophageal disease and
Gastrointestinal Oncology
Improve outcomes from oesophageal cancer through innovative
screening and surveillance tests
Cancer of the oesophagus is a global problem with a high mortality due to late
diagnosis. Dr Rebecca Fitzgerald plans to extend her novel approach for
detecting precancerous cells in Barrett’s oesophagus to molecular tests for
early detection of squamous cell cancer of the oesophagus. For higher risk
cases Rebecca and her team are developing molecular imaging tools to
define areas for biopsy and treatment.
Dr Alastair Hay
University of Bristol
Professor Richard McManus
University of Oxford
Primary Care
Paediatric Respiratory Tract
Infections
Reducing the burden of paediatric respiratory tract infections to the NHS
Cardiovascular Disease,
Pregnancy,
Primary Care
Improving outcomes in Hypertension and Pregnancy through selfmonitoring of blood pressure.
Community, primary and secondary care services are frequently overwhelmed
by children with infectious illnesses, most commonly respiratory. Children also
play a key role in the transmission of infection both to other children and
adults. Presentation to primary care often results in the use of antibiotics,
many of which are unnecessary, and promote illness medicalisation and
bacterial resistance. The overall aim of this Professorship is to reduce the
burden of respiratory tract infections in children to the NHS.
High Blood Pressure affects over seven million people in the UK and is an
important risk factor for heart attack and stroke. In pregnancy, high blood
pressure can lead to significant problems for women and their babies.
Professor McManus’ programme of work evaluates how involving people in
monitoring their own blood pressure might lead to better diagnosis and control
of high blood pressure in both hypertension and pregnancy.
Professor Andrew Peet
University of Birmingham
Paediatric Oncology
Improving the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer through
functional imaging
Imaging is essential for diagnosing cancer and planning treatment but current
methods have significant imitations. Professor Peet’s group have been
developing functional imaging techniques which probe tumour properties,
allowing improved diagnostic accuracy and the tailoring of treatment to the
individual. Future work will concentrate on translating these advances into
routine clinical practice.
NIHR Research Professorships – Round 3, 2013

Launched – 15th October 2012; Closed – 12th December 2012 at 5pm.

A maximum of two nominations were accepted per institution. Nominees who were unsuccessful in previous rounds of the NIHR
Research Professorships, were eligible to be re-nominated by their institutional partnership. 27 nominations were received.

Shortlisting – 25th April 2013; 11 invited to interview on 25th and 26th June 2013 in London.
The details of the five successful nominees are below:
Name
Professor Persis Amrolia
University College London
Research Area
Research Project
Transplantation Immunology
To develop novel cell therapies to improve outcomes after stem cell and
organ transplant.
Professor Amrolia's research aims to harness the power of the immune
system to prevent virus complications and malignancy after transplantation.
He is establishing a programme of clinical trials translating T-cell therapy from
"bench-to-bedside".
Professor Louise Howard
King’s College London
Perinatal Mental Health
Mental health problems in pregnancy and the postpartum period have
potential adverse consequences for women, their infants and their
families. Professor Howard’s research aims to contribute to the evidence
base on effective and safe ways of treating mental health problems in the
perinatal period. Her research will include studies on the risks and benefits of
medication, and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of complex nonpharmacological interventions.
Mr Peter Hutchinson
University of Cambridge
Neurosurgery
Head injury: monitoring and optimising cerebral metabolism to improve
outcome
Head injury is a major cause of morbidity and the commonest cause of death
under the age of 40 years. Our research aims to increase the understanding
of the pathophysiology of this heterogeneous condition using imaging and
monitoring techniques (brain pressure, oxygenation and chemistry) and to
apply novel medical and surgical treatment strategies to improve outcome.
The studies also provide a platform for training the next generation of
academic surgeons.
Dr Alison Simmons
University of Oxford
Gastrointestinal Disease and
Inflammation
Re-define Crohn’s at a molecular level to identify new biomarkers and
therapies
Crohn’s disease is a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease with limited
treatment options. This research will use molecular techniques to re-stratify
this disease to define patients amenable to new treatment approaches, and to
develop new therapies for Crohn’s patients.
Professor Jim Wild
University of Sheffield
MRI Physicist
Translating novel pulmonary MR imaging methods in to clinical practice
Pulmonary Imaging
Jim Wild is a magnetic resonance imaging physicist, who has developed
imaging techniques for respiratory and pulmonary vascular disease using
proton and hyperpolarised gas MRI. In this project he will work with clinicians
in the NHS to establish these methods as non-ionising clinical imaging
modalities applied to a wide range of pulmonary diseases.
NIHR Research Professorships – Round 4, 2014

Launched – 26th September 2013; Closed – 23rd January 2014 at 1pm.

A maximum of two nominations were accepted per institution. Nominees who were unsuccessful in previous rounds of the NIHR
Research Professorships, were eligible to be re-nominated by their institutional partnership. 29 nominations were received.

Shortlisting – 1st April 2014; 11 invited to interview on 11th and 12th June 2014 in London.
The details of the five successful nominees are below:
Name
Dr Cathy Creswell
University of Reading
Research Area
Clinical Psychology
Anxiety Disorders
Research Project
Treatments for childhood anxiety disorders: Improving patient access
and clinical effectiveness
Anxiety disorders are among the most common of all mental health difficulties
and often first arise in childhood. Evidence based treatments for childhood
anxiety disorders do exist, but many children do not access them. Furthermore,
a significant number of treated children do not benefit. Professor Creswell’s
research aims to increase understanding of barriers to accessing evidencebased treatments, develop efficient methods of treatment delivery, and improve
understanding of psychological mechanisms that maintain difficulties among
those children who do not benefit from currently available treatments. The
ultimate aims of this work are to improve access to evidence-based treatments
for childhood anxiety disorders and improve treatment outcomes.
Mr Paolo De Coppi
University College London
Paediatric Surgery
Oesophageal atresia
Professor De Coppi’s research aims to build and test an artificial oesophagus
as a model treatment for paediatric patients with oesophageal atresia. This
condition is characterised by the congenital absence of part of the gullet, which
occurs in about 1 out of 3,500 births, and often cannot be repaired by simply
suturing the upper and lower segments. The study will also provide a platform
for treating other congenital and acquired diseases using regenerative medicine
approaches.
Professor Christian Mallen
Keele University
General Practice /
Musculoskeletal Medicine
Missed opportunities to improve care for people with musculoskeletal
disorders in primary care
Musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis and gout, are common and
have a significant impact on individuals, their families and wider society.
Professor Mallen’s Professorship addresses missed opportunities to improve
the diagnosis and management of these conditions in a primary care setting.
Dr Christopher Millett
Imperial College London
Public Health Medicine
Active Travel
Health and economic benefits of active travel
Cross-sectoral interventions that encourage active travel (walking, cycling)
have enormous potential to improve population health as they can embed
physical activity into peoples’ everyday lives. The purpose of my research
programme is to better understand which interventions work to increase active
travel and their associated health, economic and carbon reduction benefits in
England.
Professor Rupert Pearse
Queen Mary University of
London
Intensive Care Medicine
Perioperative Care
Maximising the safety and effectiveness of major surgery through better
perioperative care
Approximately five million NHS patients receive surgical treatments each year.
In a technical sense, surgery and anaesthesia are very safe, yet high-risk
patients frequently develop medical complications, such as pneumonia or heart
attacks, in the days following surgery. These complications have a lasting
human and financial cost which may be avoidable. The aim of this research is
to improve our understanding of why patients develop complications after
surgery and how they can be prevented.
NIHR Research Professorships – Round 5, 2015

Launched – 24th September 2014; Closed – 17th December 2014 at 1pm.

A maximum of two nominations were accepted per institution. Nominees who were unsuccessful in previous rounds of the NIHR
Research Professorships, were eligible to be re-nominated by their institutional partnership. 24 nominations were received.

Shortlisting – 15th April 2015; 9 invited to interview on 1st June 2015 in London.
Name
Dr Lucy Chappell
King’s College London
Research Area
Obstetrics & Gynaecology,
Health Services Research
Research Project
Improving maternal and perinatal outcomes in high-risk pregnancies
Of the 800,000 pregnancies every year in the UK, medical co-morbidities now
affect 45% and greatly increase the risk of maternal and perinatal mortality
and morbidity. Uncertainties remain over management and treatment options
for women with these high-risk pregnancies. This research programme, using
clinical trials and other robust methodology, focuses on women with
hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and intrahepatic cholestasis of
pregnancy, and aims to reduce adverse outcomes for the mother and baby
through providing the evidence base for appropriate interventions.
Professor Waljit Dhillo
Imperial College London
Experimental Medicine &
Endocrinology
Using hormones to improve reproductive health
Disorders of reproductive health affect millions of patients worldwide. The
hormones kisspeptin and neurokinin B have recently been identified as
potential novel targets for the treatment of infertility and menopausal flushing,
respectively. My programme of work aims to develop novel treatment
protocols based on kisspeptin and neurokinin B to treat patients with
disorders of reproductive health.
Professor Daniel Freeman
University of Oxford
Clinical Psychology,
Psychosis
Overcoming persecutory delusions
Persecutory delusions (unfounded beliefs that others intend harm) occur in over 70%
of patients with diagnoses of schizophrenia. Examples of such beliefs include: “My
neighbours are spreading nasty rumours and tormenting me”, “An evil spirit is out to
kill me”. This major psychotic experience is a key treatment target. The delusion has
substantial impact for patients (and their families), including isolation, suicidal
ideation, and hospital admission. Yet too many patients do not adequately respond to
current treatments. Translating advances in understanding the causes of the
delusions into treatment, Professor Freeman has been developing a new targeted
psychological intervention. During the NIHR Professorship the new treatment will be
evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. The goal at this stage is recovery in
persistent persecutory delusions for 50% of patients. Improvements in psychological
well-being and activity levels are also predicted. Work will also be carried out during
the award to ready the intervention for implementation in the NHS. The promise is of
a major improvement in outcome, using an intervention that patients want and that
health professionals have the confidence to use.
Dr Waseem Qasim
University College London
Paediatrics, Experimental
Medicine
Next generation T cell gene therapies for children with leukaemia and
immunodeficiency
T lymphocytes are key orchestrators of immune responses against viruses
and certain types of cancers, and adoptive transfer of these cells during bone
marrow transplantation has revealed their powerful therapeutic effects. The
ability to harvest, manipulate and return these cells to patients makes them
attractive targets for gene therapy, and there has recently been notable
progress in modifying T cells with antigen specific receptor, and other genes,
using viral vectors. Dr Waseem Qasim is applying a new generation of gene
editing reagents to develop novel therapeutic strategies for children with
haematological malignancies, and inherited or secondary T cell deficiencies.
The work aims to extend and disseminate the application of these new
genetic medicines.
NIHR Research Professorships – Round 6, 2016

Launched – 23rd September 2015; Closed – 16th December 2015 at 1pm.

A maximum of two nominations were accepted per institution. Nominees who were unsuccessful in previous rounds of the NIHR
Research Professorships, were eligible to be re-nominated by their institutional partnership. 24 nominations were received.

Shortlisting – 11th April 2016; 9 invited to interview on 9th June 2016 in London.
Name
Professor Rachel Batterham
University College London
Research Area
Obesity
Research Project
One quarter of UK adults are obese having an unhealthy amount of body fat. People with
obesity die at a younger age and are more likely to have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure,
heart attacks, strokes and certain types of cancer. The causes of obesity are complex but we
know that genetic make-up plays a role. Losing weight by dieting and exercise improves health,
but staying at a lower weight is difficult because the body’s weight-control systems try to return
weight back to the higher level.
Bariatric (obesity) surgery is the most effective treatment for people with severe obesity. This
surgery causes long-term weight loss, reduces the future risk of dying in the future and makes
people with obesity healthier by improving and preventing many of the illnesses linked to
obesity. However, access to bariatric surgery is very limited and unfortunately around 1 in 5
people do not respond well to bariatric surgery in terms of improved health.
This programme of research aims to improve the health of people with obesity by ensuring
that bariatric surgery is delivered in the best way possible to improve the health of obese
patients and by studying people having bariatric surgery to gain new knowledge into how
body weight is regulated.
Professor Anthony Gordon
Imperial College London
Intensive Care Medicine,
Sepsis
Personalised Medicine in Sepsis
Sepsis is the body’s response to severe infection. It is very common worldwide and has a
high death rate. In the UK alone more than 120,000 people are admitted to intensive care
units due to sepsis.
Professor Gordon’s research programme aims to develop a personalised medicine
strategy for patients with sepsis to allow treatment of patients as individuals. He is
combining pharmacogenetic, gene expression and metabolic profiling with rapid point-ofcare diagnostic tests to select the most appropriate treatments for patients and improve
their outcome.
Dr Alexander Leff
University College London
Professor David Mole
University of Oxford
Neurology.
Development, evaluation
and roll-out of therapeutic
interventions for patients
with cognitive disorders.
Digital neuro-interventions to enhance re-learning in patients with acquired and
degenerative brain diseases
Experimental Medicine
and Renal Oncology
Translating genomic signals in kidney cancer into patient care
Acquired brain injury (stroke, traumatic brain injury and tumours) and degenerative brain
diseases (dementia) account for the vast majority of the cognitive impairments suffered by
adults worldwide. There is a wealth of evidence showing that damaged brains can learn if
engaged in the correct form of deliberate practice. Neuro-Interventions (practice-based
treatments that target specific brain functions) can improve outcomes in adult patients with
cognitive impairment, but there is currently no easy way for patients to access these
treatments, which are traditionally provided during face-to-face therapy sessions. My
research addresses this translational failure. I will produce three computer-based therapies
(digital neuro-interventions) that patients with specific impairments of their thinking and
memory skills can use to boost re-learning: 1) for patients with visuospatial neglect; 2) for
patients with dementia and problems naming the people they know; 3) a naming
intervention
for
aphasic
patients
who
have
word-finding
difficulties.
New techniques in genetic research have changed preconceptions about cancer and
revealed the involvement of far more widespread pathways than previously considered.
These drive changes that both promote and inhibit progression of tumours. In order to
advance, the cancer has to adapt the balance of these pathways to favour its growth.
Professor Mole’s research will focus on how oxygen-sensing pathways that are activated
in kidney cancer are re-balanced to promote tumour progression and how these findings
can be translated into improved healthcare. In particular, it will use innovative types of
(large-scale DNA-sequencing) data and methods of analysis to find new ways to predict
how tumours will behave, which patients will respond to existing treatments and what new
treatments might be effective.