UKCRF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- UKCRFN Project Manager
Andy Dawes joined the UK Clinical Research Facility Network as Project Manager in March 2018. In his current role he aims to ensure continuity for UKCRF Network activities, facilitates the successful delivery of our objectives, and, seeks to promote the work of the UKCRF Network to patients, public and stakeholders.
Prior to joining the UKCRF Network Andy worked for 10 years as a Project Manager and Business Analyst with Shell Plc, where he contributed to, and lead, international multi-stream operational activities and software development projects.
Outside of work Andy hikes, cycles, plays with computers and wishes he was still young enough to play rugby without aching quite so much.
The Project Manager, Andrew Dawes, works closely with the individual Theme Leads to plan and implement activities that successfully deliver efficient solutions to our complex and dynamic objectives.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations at Cambridge Clinical Research Centre, NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility
- Operational Director & Clinical Manager at the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (
- UKCRFN Deputy Director Director of Operations at NIHR Cambridge CRF
- UKCRFN Theme Lead for PPI / E / Director of Operations at NIHR Cambridge CRF
Caroline co-founded the network in 2008, and is currently the UKCRF Deputy Director and has previously led the Education and Patient and Public Involvement Theme Groups. She has extensive experience in leading, managing and establishing services to support the delivery of complex experimental medicine in Cambridge, has developed research education and training programs locally for medical trainees, research nurses and support staff and supports a number of new Clinical Research Facilities.
Job Titles:
- Director
- UKCRFN SMT Member - CRF Directors Representative / UKCRFN Advisory Board Member / Director at the NIHR Sheffield CRF
Chris is our CRF Director representative on the Senior Management Team, and is a key member of our Advisory Board.
He is a Professor of Clinical Cardiology and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist and was appointed as Director of the Clinical Research Facility in 2004, a joint initiative between the University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Chris is also the Dean of the Medical School and a Non-Executive Director for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
Job Titles:
- SMT Scotland Representative & Deputy Director at Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility ( Email )
Job Titles:
- Head of Research Operations for the NIHR Clinical Research Network
- UCRFN SMT Member / Head of Research Operations for the NIHR Clinical Research Network
Dr Joanna Knee is the Head of Research Operations for the NIHR Clinical Research Network. Joanna joined the Clinical Research Network in 2006 and has worked with the CRFs and other NIHR funded infrastructure throughout this period. As Head of Research Operations, Joanna is responsible for the policy and processes supporting research delivery across the CRN, and is the Product Owner for one of CRNs key information systems the NIHR Central Portfolio Management System.
Joanna has been part of the UKCRF Strategic Planning team for many years now and through this membership aims to support joint working between the UKCRF Network and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.
Prior to joining the NIHR Clinical Research Network Joanna undertook a PhD and a post-doc at the University of Leeds identifying biomarkers of risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with Barrett's Oesphagus, publishing in several academic publications, including the Lancet.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Research, Development and Innovation at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
- UKCRFN SMT Theme Lead for Facilitating Clinical Trials / R & D Associate Director at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Stephen Barnett is the Associate Director of Research, Development and Innovation at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust.
Stephen, who started his career at Great Ormond Street Hospital and worked most recently at Guy's and St Thomas' (GSTT) as their Research Platforms Manager at the NIHR GSTT CRF.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Network Director
- UKCRFN Director
- UKCRFN Director ( 2009 - 2021 )
Helen Pidd was appointed the UKCRF Network Director in 2009 and retired in December 2021.
Helen joined the CRF development team in Manchester as the Nurse Manager in 1999 and then moved into the roles of Clinical Manager, Deputy Director prior to taking up her current role as Operational Director.
Her role as UKCRF Network Operational Director included oversight and leadership of the outputs from the Network. This included over 20 different tools to support operational excellence in CRFs across the UK and Ireland. Helen has also led on a number of national initiatives to support the development of the Clinical Research Nurse role, and was a founding member of the writing group for The Competency Framework for Clinical Research Nurses, a document that is now widely implemented across the UK.
Helen has also provided consultancy advice to a number of developing and established research facilities across the UK, Ireland, Australia and the US.
Job Titles:
- National Head of Research Delivery in Wales
- Registered General Nurse
- Representative National Head of Research
- SMT Wales Representative & Head of Research Delivery for Health and Care Research Wales (
- UKCRFN SMT Scotland Representative / National Head of Research Delivery
Jayne is the National Head of Research Delivery in Wales providing nationwide, operational oversight of research delivery to ensure a rapid and responsive service for high quality research activities.
Jayne is a Registered General Nurse with a wealth of clinical experience and knowledge having working in the NHS since 1987 and completed MSc studies in Professional Practice and Health and Social Care Leadership. She is currently a PhD student with Bangor University, North Wales. Jayne has worked within the clinical research delivery setting since 2000 in various roles supporting the continuous development and improvement of research capability and capacity building in Wales. Jayne is an honorary lecturer at Bangor University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Nursing
- Founding Member of the UKCRF Network Senior Management Team
- UKCRFN SMT Theme Lead for Workforce Development
- UKCRFN SMT Theme Lead for Workforce Development Matron at NIHR Southampton CRF
Jennifer Allison is a founding member of the UKCRF Network Senior Management Team and Lead for its Workforce and Education Theme, building and maximising relationships across the infrastructure.
Jennifer Allison is an Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Lead Matron of the NIHR Southampton Research Facility. She leads a large team caring for paediatric and adult patients, and healthy participants, in early phase complex experimental medicine studies.
She is the immediate Past- President of the International Association of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN) and remains on their Board. She was presented with their Distinguished Clinical Research Nurse Award in 2011. She has a wealth of experience in articulating the unique contribution that clinical research nurses and their teams make to global healthcare in publications and national/international presentations.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager
- Representative
- Programme Manager for the Clinical Research Facility
- SMT Ireland Representative & Programme Manager for the Wellcome HRB CRF at St James 's Hospital in Dublin (
- UKCRFN SMT Ireland Representative / Programme Manager at St James Hospital CRF, Dublin
Jeremy Towns is the Programme Manager for the Clinical Research Facility (CRF) in Dublin, Ireland and has been involved since the inception of the facility in 2008. He is responsible for managing the wide range of business activities that contribute to the successful operation of the CRF. He was formerly the Programme Manager for the Dublin Centre for Clinical Research - a clinical research network involving four clinical research facilities in Dublin. He currently serves as the Irish representative on the Senior Management Team of the UKCRF Network.
Previous roles include Senior Planner with the Council of University Teaching Hospitals in Canada, Y2K Programme Director for the Vancouver Health Board, and Senior Management Consultant with KPMG in Canada. Mr. Towns holds a BSc. from the London School of Economics and a master's degree from the University of British Columbia.
Job Titles:
- UKCRFN SMT Theme Lead for Supporting CRFs / Clinical Manager at NIHR Birmingham CRF
Job Titles:
- Head of Operations
- UKCRFN SMT Deputy Theme Lead for Achieving Operational Excellence / Head of Operations at NIHR Sheffield CRF
Karen French is SMT Deputy Lead for Theme 1, which aims to support CRFs in providing the highest quality resource to conduct clinical research. She first joined the Network as Chair of the Managers' Association prior to being appointed as Deputy in 2017.
Karen is Head of Operations and provides leadership, management and strategic direction for the development of the Sheffield CRF. Karen has forged close links with other CRFs and BRCs across the UK and Ireland and actively contributes to strategic advisory groups to strengthen links for sharing knowledge and expertise across the national clinical research and experimental medicine infrastructure.
Karen has had a long career working within admin and management roles within the NHS before completing a MBA and further developing her clinical research career. She is passionate about the world of research and the difference it makes to the lives of real people.
Job Titles:
- UKCRFN SMT Deputy Lead for Workforce Development
- UKCRFN SMT Deputy Lead for Workforce Development CRF Manager at NIHR Royal Free CRF
Kate was appointed as CRF Manager at NIHR Royal Free CRF in 2021. She was previously the CRF Business and Operations Manager at the NIHR CRF at Guy's and St. Thomas' (GSTT) NHS Foundation Trust where she was responsible for the operational leadership of the CRF's four units.
With formal training in the arts, communication and education Kate likes to say she came to work in research by chance. Since then she has worked in clinical research in Australia and the United Kingdom across a variety of roles and teams. Kate enjoys working in clinical research because of the diverse range of staff and the mix of skills they bring to their teams. Kate enjoys using mentoring, coaching, facilitation and competencies to support her staff to develop research-specific and transferable skills. As the Deputy Lead for Workforce Development Kate is able to champion her passion for staff development across the UKCRF Network and support the development of evolving research roles though the UKCRF Network's collaborations with the NIHR.
Job Titles:
- Director & Head of Research & Innovation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (
- Head of Research and Innovation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
- Interim Director Head of Research
- Interim Director Head of Research at Lancashire Teaching Hospital
Paul is the Head of Research and Innovation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, oversees the NIHR Lancashire CRF and is also co-chair of the NIHR North West Coast Clinical Research Network Research and Development Forum. He was previously Deputy Director/Operations Manager at NIHR Manchester CRF for 14 years.
Paul previously led Theme 2 of UKCRF Network strategy to coordinate and accelerate the delivery of trials through CRFs, which is heavily focused on collaboration between CRFs and Industry. He has been on the UKCRF Network Senior Management Team for 10 years, initially to represent non-clinical CRF Managers. His role in the UKCRF Network has included founding and oversight of the Costing and Sustainability Workstream with work on the NIHR Industry Costing template. Paul has also provided formal review and recruitment support to several developing and established research facilities across the UK and Ireland.
Job Titles:
- Membership Manager
- UKCRFN As the Membership Coordinator
- UKCRFN Membership Coordinator
Sophie Black joined the UKCRFN as the Membership Coordinator in June 2018.
The Membership Manager, Sophie Black, acts as a hub for all our communication and manages the Network's day to day administration, processes and customer service.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Representative
- UKCRFN SMT Scotland Representative Deputy Director at Edinburgh CRF
Steve has been the Deputy Director of Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility since 2017 and is the Scottish Lead on the UKCRF.
Prior to this post he worked for two years as the Commercial Research Manager in Tayside, regularly liaising with industry, academia and the Chief Scientist's Office to increase commercial collaborations and industry trials in the NHS. He now manages over 150 staff across three NHS Phase 1 MHRA accredited research facilities alongside associated University of Edinburgh core support services in his current role. With a clinical background initially as a research nurse in cardiovascular medicine and connective tissue diseases Steve developed his role in a Senior Research Nursing Fellow post in the University of Dundee, where he was Principal Investigator, co applicant and grant holder on both CTIMP and non CTIMP trials.
Steve completed a PhD in 2014 whilst working in a dual role as a Senior Research Nursing Fellow in The Institute of Cardiovascular Research (Dundee) and Senior Trials Manager in Tayside Clinical Trials Unit (TCTU). He enjoyed a lead role in the set up of the TCTU in 2010 and has extensive experience in regulatory submissions, protocol development and mentoring and supervising research staff.
His particular interests are workforce development, increasing public engagement in clinical research and ensuring we develop sustainable careers for staff in clinical research. He has delivered training and lectures to both professionals and the public on clinical research and teaches regularly on the National GCP course.