Published: 17 February 2020
The NIHR has announced the appointment of 45 NIHR Senior Investigators in the 2020 round of awards.
NIHR Senior Investigators are among the most prominent and prestigious researchers funded by the NIHR and the most outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research within the NIHR research community and beyond.
As the NIHR’s senior leaders, NIHR Senior Investigators are critical to augmenting the ongoing success of the NIHR and developing research capability fit to tackle the challenges facing health of the nation.
Following open competition, 28 researchers have been newly appointed as NIHR Senior Investigators this year in the 13th annual round of appointments. They are joined by 17 current or previous holders of the award who have been reappointed as Senior Investigators, bringing the total number of appointments for 2020 to 45.
In addition, 16 researchers have been appointed to NIHR Emeritus Senior Investigator, in recognition of the work they have carried out as a Senior Investigator and continue to do. These new appointments create a total of 161 Emeritus Senior Investigators.
NIHR Senior Investigators hold their award for no more than two terms, in order to ensure turnover. This creates opportunities for new researchers to participate in NIHR at senior level, incentivising the research community while maintaining the college of Senior Investigators at a consistent size of around 200 researchers in total.
On completion of a second successful term, Senior Investigators are awarded the title Senior Investigator Emeritus, which they hold as long as they are in substantive employment in England. It is a considerable achievement to attain Emeritus status, holders having succeeded twice at achieving Senior Investigator status in open competition and completed two terms as a Senior Investigator.
An independent expert committee chaired by Professor Marion Walker advised on the 2020 appointments.
NIHR Senior Investigator status is awarded to researchers on the basis of their internationally excellent research, its quality and volume, its relevance to patients and the public, and its impact on improvements in healthcare and public health.
NIHR Senior Investigator status also recognises awardees’ contribution to the NIHR, research leadership, engagement of patients and the public, and engagement of healthcare policy makers and planners with their research.
Full details of the 2020 NIHR Senior Investigator and Senior Investigator Emeritus appointments are available on the NIHR website. If you would like to find out about the Senior Investigators in your area of interest, please email academy@nihr.ac.uk for more details.
The 14th annual round of NIHR Senior Investigators appointments will be announced in summer 2020. Leading researchers funded by the NIHR and who are employed by a NHS Trust, university or charity based in England are encouraged to apply. Further details about the competition will be made available on the NIHR website.