Co-Director of NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)

Imperial College London - Faculty of Medicine Centre

Location:LondonSalary:CompetitiveHours:Full TimeContract Type:PermanentPlaced On:14th April 2026Closes:6th May 2026Job Ref:MED05758

About the role

The NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a long-standing partnership between Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) and Imperial College London (Imperial). With more than £107 million of current NIHR investment, the BRC brings together world-leading academic and clinical excellence to accelerate translational research and deliver meaningful improvements in patient care. The centre supports 14 multidisciplinary research themes, alongside major clinical, digital and technological platforms, which enable cutting-edge translational research across the entire spectrum, from discovery to patient benefit. As part of Imperial’s Academic Health Science Centre, the BRC advances early diagnosis, precision medicine, digital health and convergence science while working closely with patients, communities and partners to improve health outcomes locally, nationally and globally.

We are now seeking to appoint a new Co-Director to provide strategic leadership for this flagship NIHR research centre. Working alongside the existing Co-Director, Professor Mark Thursz, the postholder will help guide the overall vision, direction and performance of the BRC, ensuring alignment with the strategic priorities of Imperial, ICHT and NIHR. An immediate focus of the Co-Directors will be to lead the development of the BRC’s renewal bid for the 2028–2033 funding cycle. Additionally, they must strengthen research platforms and partnerships, while also overseeing the management of financial, physical and human resources across a large and complex organisation.

Candidates will be senior clinical academics of international standing who have led large, multidisciplinary research programmes/centres with demonstrable translational impact. They will bring experience in NHS–university partnerships, stewardship of multimillion-pound portfolios and shared research infrastructure. A strong track record of engaging patients, communities, and the wider public to shape, deliver, and evaluate biomedical research is essential, alongside the leadership skills needed to motivate diverse teams and work effectively with internal and external stakeholders.

Further information

Candidates must be able to describe how they are at the top of their field internationally to meet NIHR standards and therefore be eligible for this role.

Enquiries can be made, in confidence, to Jamie Cumming-Wesley, email: jcumming-wesley@wittkieffer.com or Natalie Derry, email: nderry@wittkieffer.com at WittKieffer.

Completed applications should be submitted electronically to rsmith@wittkieffer.com.