Briefly describe your role
As Associate Director of Operations for Research, my role is to make sure you have the infrastructure and support to deliver high-quality clinical research. I oversee the NIHR Leeds Clinical Research Facility (CRF) and the wider research delivery systems covering governance, finance, patient and partner involvement and engagement, and performance monitoring.
My focus is on removing operational barriers and ensuring resources are aligned so your studies recruit to time and target. I work closely with the R&I leadership and external partners to grow our research portfolio and secure sustainable funding.
In short, I’m here to create an environment where we can deliver research that improves patient care and strengthens LTHT’s reputation as a leading research centre.
What’s your favourite part of the role
Problem solving is my favourite part of the role because it sits at the heart of enabling high-quality research in a complex clinical environment.
Every challenge, whether it’s unlocking capacity in the CRF, navigating governance or funding constraints, or supporting studies that are struggling to recruit, represents an opportunity to make research work better for clinicians, delivery teams and patients. Seeing a barrier removed and a study progress successfully is hugely motivating, particularly when it directly supports innovation and improves patient care.
What are you most proud of during your time at the Trust?
I’m most proud of the people I’ve worked alongside and the culture of research we’ve built together.
I’ve been continually inspired by the commitment, generosity, and resilience of colleagues across clinical, research delivery, and operational teams, particularly in navigating complexity and change while keeping patients at the centre. Seeing research move beyond protocols and publications to genuinely influence clinical practice has been especially meaningful.
It’s in those moments, knowing I’ve helped create the conditions when evidence translates into improved patient care, is something I take real pride in.
How did you become involved in R&I?
I first became involved as a research nurse working in oncology. As I progressed through my career, I became a research delivery team leader before leaving the Trust to join Covance as an Early Phase Project Manager. From Covance I joined Leeds University as a Lead Research Nurse and then rejoined the Trust as a Clinical Trial Manager. From there I join the NIHR Leeds Diagnostic Evidence Cooperative (DEC) which evolved to the IVD MedTech Innovation Cooperative (MIC). I became the NIHR Leeds CRF manager in 2020 and we successfully secured £11.8M until 2029, lifting the CRF from the bottom funding tier to the 8th highest funded CRF in the UK. I joined the R&I in my current post in May 2023.