Professor Stephen Ryder
Professor Stephen Ryder
Clinical Director of Research & Innovation
Steve is a consultant Physician in Hepatology and Gastroenterology. His major clinical and research interest is hepatitis C infection. He was the national lead for the Hepatology Clinical Research Network and has had a significant role in coordinating clinical trials of new therapies. He was recognised by the NIHR for his outstanding contribution to commercial research programmes in 2016. Steve is also Clinical Director of the NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility.
Steve is Hepatology Vice President of the British Society of Gastroenterology and was appointed Director of the NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility in April 2017.
Professor Ian Hall
Professor Ian Hall
Director, NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre
Ian Hall is Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Nottingham and Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Ian completed his clinical studies at the University of Oxford before moving to Nottingham for specialist training and research. He was an MRC travelling fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and National Asthma Campaign Senior Research Fellow. From 2009-2015 he was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Nottingham. He holds the Boots Chair in Therapeutics. His research interests include the molecular genetics of airway disease, pharmacogenetics, asthma, COPD, cell signalling and MR imaging.
Kathryn Fairbrother
Kathryn Fairbrother
Director of Clinical Operations, Research & Innovation
Kathryn started her career in the NHS in 1992 as a health care assistant in an acute mental health unit. In March 1993, she started her adult nurse training at the University of Teesside, where Kathryn is originally from and qualified as a registered nurse in 1996. Kathryn has been involved in research since 1998, firstly in roles at University Hospitals of Leicester and then with the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Comprehensive Local Research Network. From 2014 until 2021, Kathryn worked in the NIHR Clinical Research Network East Midlands, including as Deputy Chief Operating Officer. She joined NUH in August 2021 as Head of Nursing for Research & Innovation.
Kathryn was appointed to the new role of Director of Clinical Operations in January 2025.
Dr Tom Smith
Dr Tom Smith
Head of Research & Innovation
Tom joined Research & Innovation in May 2017, leading research support services and the operational delivery of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre infrastructure. Tom’s career includes both industry and the NHS, before joining the team he worked at the NHS Health Research Authority. Tom was also Acting General Manager, Research & Innovation from June 2023 to December 2024.
Rachel Webster
Rachel Webster
Head of Research Education and Impact
Rachel has led Communications, Marketing, Corporate Governance, Customer Relations and Public Relations teams in both the public and private sectors including the NHS, local government and transport industries.
Rachel joined Research & Innovation in 2018 and her role covers the delivery of communications and public and patient engagement, together with ensuring that our research is inclusive of all communities as part of the workforce and providing opportunities to take part in research. She is also the Senior Management Team lead for the development of the Research Futures School, which develops education for all professionals within research and for the work around the impact of the research we do at NUH and in our centres of excellence.
Alison Lloyd
Alison Lloyd
Head of Research Governance, Quality and Integrity
Alison joined Research and Innovation in April 2023. Her role as Head of Research Governance, Quality and Integrity ensures that research taking place at NUH is legal, ethical and meets regulatory requirements. Her portfolio also includes NUH’s BioResource.
She started her career as an adult nurse before moving into research in 2009. Since then she has held various positions in research both in the NHS and Higher Education environments, including, as a research nurse, trial manager and research ethics and governance manager.
Alison is the Director for Training and Development at the Association of Research Managers and Administrators, an external member of a University Research Integrity Committee and an expert member of an NHS REC.
Dr Philip Quinlan
Dr Philip Quinlan
Director of Health Informatics
Phil was appointed as one of the first joint posts working across both the Research & Innovation Department and the University of Nottingham to lead the development of our data strategy and to build a shared infrastructure which will supercharged our research capability by utilising data science such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive benefits to patients and the education and development of the workforce to have the confidence to utilise data. Phil also leads the Informatics Theme as part of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and is Head of Digital Research Service and Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham and HDR UK Associate Director.
Dr Louise Bramley
Dr Louise Bramley
Deputy Clinical Director of Research & Innovation
Dr Louise Bramley is the Head of Nursing and Midwifery Research at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). She is a senior nurse with a wealth of clinical, research and leadership experience in acute care and healthcare of older people and currently combines research and practice at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). Louise received her PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2016 and holds an honorary Associate Professor appointment at the University of Nottingham.
Louise was recently recognised by the NIHR as one of their 70@70 Nursing Research Leaders and works closely in this role alongside the Research and Innovation Department at NUH. As Head of Nursing and Midwifery Research, Louise is responsible and is passionate about capacity and capability for front-line nurses and midwives to undertake primary research that improves patient outcomes. She is co-founder the East Midlands Clinical Academic Practitioner Network and sits on a number of national and regional steering groups in relation to developing clinical academic roles for nurses, midwives and AHPs. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Nursing.
As a senior nurse at NUH, Louise is also a key leader in the NUH Institute of Nursing and Midwifery Care Excellence (Institute). Formed in 2017, the Institute hosts three programmes of work: Research and Innovation, Education and Workforce Development and the Excellence in Care programme office. These programmes of work take an innovative approach to working with nurses and midwives across NUH to improve patient outcomes and increase patient and staff satisfaction. They focus on talent management, celebrating success, research and innovation and leadership development. This programme of work has recently seen NUH City Hospital campus become the first ANCC ® Magnet Accredited hospital in the UK.
Dr Robert Scott
Dr Robert Scott
Deputy Clinical Director of Research & Innovation
Dr Robert Scott is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Hepatology at the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre.
He started work as a consultant at NUH in 2023. Dr Scott graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2006 and during his postgraduate training, he completed an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow PhD, and undertook sub-specialty training in transplant hepatology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
Robert’s research focus is on the application of new biomarkers (including MRI) to risk-stratify patients with advanced liver disease plus early detection of cancer, to improve clinical practice and outcomes. He leads a national NIHR partnership to improve the peri-operative outcomes of patients with advanced liver disease.