Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The IoPPN is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe
About King’s College London
King’s College London is amongst the top 40 universities in the world and top 10 in Europe (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024) and is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities. King’s has over 40,000 students (including more than 19,000 postgraduates) from some 150 countries, and over 10,000 employees. King’s has an important relationship with its Health Partners (King’s Health Partners), which brings together research, education and clinical practice together across three NHS Foundation Trusts, Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley. Based across five campuses in the heart of London, King’s offers an intellectually stimulating environment, where staff are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and learning in the service of society. We are a multi-faculty institution, providing high-quality research, education and innovation across the social sciences, humanities, medicine, law, dentistry, and sciences. As a member of the Russell Group, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards in research and education. King’s vision is to make the world a better place through world-leading education, research and service to society. King’s provides world-class education which enables students to become rounded critical thinkers, set up for success and with the character and wisdom to strive for social change. Through enquiry-driven research, King's delivers transformative insights and solutions that have the power to advance and accelerate global progress. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 exercise, King’s maintained its 6th position for ‘research power’ in the UK, 6th by Quality Index, and was ranked 3rd amongst multi-Faculty universities for impact. “For almost 200 years, King’s has been a place where ideas turn into action. From revealing the structure of DNA to reimagining nursing, from advances in medicine, law and the study of war and peace to shaping culture and public debate, our work has always been guided by a belief that knowledge should serve society.” Strategy 2030 King’s comprises nine faculties, each with an academic leader and professional services lead: Executive Dean of Faculty and Director of Operations. Professional Services are provided in every Faculty as well as centrally to deliver support services for students and staff.
Our faculties
• Faculty of Arts & Humanities • Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences • Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine • Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences • Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy • Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience • King’s Business School • The Dickson Poon School of Law
Appointment details
Salary
Competitive
Terms
Full time Permanent
Closing date for applications:
07 May 2026 23:59
Vacancy ID
138865
Role purpose
• Strategic and/or Management oversight of the CRF. • Delivery of the clinical, academic and business objectives of the CRF. • Contributing to the academic endeavour via research, education and relevant leadership and administrative roles at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. • Contributing to service delivery via provision of clinical consultant sessions/PAs as agreed with the relevant clinical partner organisation.
Leadership responsibilities
Research and Education: • Develop and maintain their own research portfolio within the context of the CRF, attracting funds, growing a team and producing world-leading, internationally excellent outputs in line with expectations of Chair/Reader level appointments at an institute of the IoPPN’s standing. • Option to establish an educational offer in experimental medicine if desired.
Leadership and Management: • Provide overall leadership and direction to the CRF as it develops. • Oversee management and administration of the CRF; supported by a Manager and other key staff. • Oversee preparation and management of annual budget. • Ensure preparation and delivery of relevant reports to core funders. • Contribute to the broader life of the IoPPN/KHP as a member of the senior Faculty. • Ensure appropriate clinical and governance standards are met and maintained. • Investigate breaches in research governance alongside partner organisations as required.
Communication and Networking: • Actively ensure that the CRF is well represented within the decision making of its various partners, and that it is collaborating effectively with all constituents. • Ensure that the CRF and its availability are well understood to relevant medical, academic and industrial user-groups. • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with core funders.
Clinical: • The clinically qualified appointee will have a clinical role appropriate to his or her training and professional licensure. Such appointees hold honorary contracts with the appropriate partner foundation NHS Trusts. • The precise nature of clinical activities will be identified on appointment and a job plan drawn up and agreed with the relevant clinical partner organisation, and in conjunction with the relevant Royal College. Details of appraisal peer groups will be identified at this time. An indicative timetable is shown below. The timing of the actual sessions will be negotiable and will be agreed with the Executive Dean of IoPPN and Medical Director of the relevant partner organisation. The agreed arrangement will be consistent with the expectations for revalidation in the post holder’s particular speciality.
Job Plan
Total number of Programmed Activities (PAs) = 10 A typical job plan will look as follows: • 4 PAs – Clinical Research Facility directorship (providing strategic leadership and operational oversight etc) • 2 PAs – Personal clinical activity • 4 PAs – Standard KCL clinical academic activity
The NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility
The NIHR funded King’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF) provides an excellent, safe and efficient environment for the delivery of early translational and experimental medicine studies, with a special focus on mental health and neuroscience, while also supporting haematooncology, cardiovascular medicine, liver disease, diabetes and advanced therapies (including ATIMPs and CART). Opened in 2014, the CRF now supports a significantly expanded portfolio of 181 open studies, up from 88 at the last renewal, reflecting strong demand for experimental medicine capability across King’s Health Partners (KHP) The CRF plays a catalytic role in coalescing the existent portfolio of excellent experimental medicine and clinical trials taking place across KHP within a dedicated specialist clinical research environment and serves as a tool for attracting new commercial clients and/or research collaborations from the pharmaceutical sector. The CRF is sited over two co-located buildings, providing some 3000 sq m. It has four main components: - An Experimental Medicine Facility, including fMRI (EMF); - A Clinical Trials Facility (CTF); - A Cell Therapy Unit (CTU); - An Administrative Centre (AC).
Structure
Experimental Medicine Facility:
The EMF is mainly housed across two floors of one of the buildings, which is newly constructed. This facility includes interview rooms with computerised cognitive stations, clinical rooms with beds, reclining chairs for sampling and monitoring, state of the art EEG equipment, a purpose-built virtual reality suite, intensive care equipment and a 3T MRI scanner as well as a new Hyperfine scanner.
Clinical Trials Facility:
Occupying the ground floor of one of the buildings and designed in conjunction with current users and industrial collaborators, the CTF aims to provide a state-of-the-art facility for commercially sponsored clinical trials. The CTF divides into two major areas; a 12 bedded facility with three isolation (quiet) room bed, and an eight fully reclining chaired facility. Both areas are open plan but with easy access to individual consulting rooms where study participants can be interviewed and examined safely, appropriately and confidentially.
Cell Therapy Unit:
The CTU is also housed in the new building and is one of the largest manufacturing facilities of its kind currently built in either academia or industry in Europe, with capacity to produce more than six final products simultaneously.
Administrative Centre:
In addition to the research facilities, there are offices for the Directorate, a meeting rooms and a seven person desk area with appropriate IT connectivity.
Governance
Scientific Board and Management Board:
The day-to-day management of the CRF is led by a Management Board with representation of all the relevant stakeholders. The Management Board is responsible for implementation of the strategy as developed in the NIHR grant and is responsible for the regulatory, clinical, operational and financial management of the CRF. The Management Board reports to the CRF Steering Group that is made up by representatives of the partners. Close working relationships with the KHP Clinical Trials Office and R&D office is required to ensure appropriate governance.
Operating Model and Budget:
The CRF is a collaborative centre for staff from KCL, SLaM and KCH, housed in a hospital (KCH) building. The provision of all services for its maintenance, for staff employment and for budgetary overview, relies on linkages between the CRF itself and KCH, through the Corporate Services Division. In ensuring that the CRF functions appropriately and delivers against its agenda, it reports via its Management Board to the Steering Committee, which is chaired by the R&D Drector of SLaM (Professor Fiona Gaughran) and includes senior representation from KHP, all three partner organisations and the MH-BRC. The CRF has an operating budget of about £2.5M. Core grant support is about £1m yearly, and the other half is generated through activity dependent charges. The Director is supported by a lead Nurse Manager, (Ms Elka Giemza) and the academic lead for the CTU (Professor Anil Dhawan) and the Deputy Director (Professor James Galloway). Administrative support will be provided for the Director.
Strategy
A major strategic strength is our concentration of expertise and infrastructure in mental health and neuroscience, underpinned by world leading academic excellence at King’s College London, Europe’s largest mental health provider (SLaM), and one of the UK’s largest neuroscience centres (KCH). Specialist facilities - including advanced EEG and neurophysiology, a virtual reality suite, and both full body and head only 3T MRI - allow the CRF to support complex studies that could not be delivered in standard clinical environments. Our staff, including mental health nurses experienced in high-risk, early phase work, ensure safe delivery of high intensity experimental protocols.leading academic excellence at King’s College London, Europe’s largest mental health provider (SLaM), and one of the UK’s largest neuroscience centres (KCH). Specialist facilitiesreality suite, and both fullbody and headonly 3T MRIrisk, earlyphase work, ensure safe delivery of highintensity experimental protocols. Our large, diverse local population (over 60% from ethnicities other than white British) allows us to address inequalities in research participation. We embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) throughout study design, recruitment and conduct, working closely with the SLaM BRC’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Group (READ), the INCLUDE guidance, and community based outreach to widen access. We are also developing an integrated partnership with the Pears Maudsley Centre, including plans for coworking and staff exchange to build capacity for child and adolescent experimental medicine - an area of rising strategic priority.based outreach to widen access. We are also developing an integrated partnership with the Pears Maudsley Centre, including plans for coworking and staff exchange to build capacity for child and adolescent experimental medicine The CRF prioritises and actively manages its research portfolio through a structured oversight process led by the Director. Studies are evaluated on strategic alignment, scientific importance, safety and feasibility, including modelling of recruitment and participant acceptability. Active portfolio management allows the CRF to support challenging high intensity work while balancing resources across disease areas. Our agility was demonstrated through our pivotal role as the hub for COVID19 experimental medicine studies during the pandemic, and we remain prepared to mobilise rapidly in future public health emergencies.intensity work while balancing resources across disease areas. Our agility was demonstrated through our pivotal role as the hub for COVID19 experimental medicine studies during the pandemic, and we remain prepared to mobilise rapidly in future publichealth emergencies. The CRF operates with robust management systems to ensure safe, highquality research delivery. As a fully embedded part of KCH, our facilities operate with hospitalgrade emergency systems, including unannounced drills and learning from real events. Twothirds of our studies are categorised as medium or high intensity, and around a third of patient visits require a monitored bed. Quality management is underpinned by more than 80 reviewed and continuously updated SOPs covering governance, clinical activity, laboratory procedures and studyspecific risks. All staff maintain GCP certification, and we work closely with the KCH R&I Office to ensure full regulatory readiness. We are committed to delivering studies to time and target. Early engagement with investigators ensures clear expectations around staffing, equipment, timelines and participant management. Our monitoring of study progress includes a visitdelivery ratio that allows early identification of barriers and proactive intervention. Retention is enhanced by a patientcentred model of care, close collaboration with our PPI/E groups, and specialist support for participants with mentalhealth, behavioural or neurocognitive challenges. The Director of the CRF will play a central role in achieving these objectives by driving strategic leadership, ensuring operational excellence, fostering academic and clinical partnerships, and enabling highimpact experimental medicine research across the KHP network.
Reporting Lines
In an academic capacity, the appointee will report to the Head of School of Neuroscience (Professor Mark Richardson). In the Director capacity, there is a dotted line to the R&D Director of SLaM (Professor Fiona Gaughran).
King's Clinical Research Facility
CRF is uniquely positioned to draw on research and treatment expertise across physical and mental healthcare.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
King's College Hospital
NHS King's College Hospital
The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following skills, qualities, and experience: (*How identified and assessed – AP = application, AS = assessment, I = interview, P = presentation, R = references)
Education/Qualification and Training
• Hold a primary medical degree and full GMC registration (AP). • PhD or equivalent Doctoral qualification (AP). • Registered as a Specialist in Neurology/Neuroscience on GMC Specialist Register in Neurology, or on foreign equivalent and eligible for inclusion (AP). • Member of the Royal College, or completion of equivalent international training in neurology (AP).
Experience
• Bring a track record of highly interdisciplinary, innovative, translational research (AP). • Have a proven clinical record (AP). • Demonstrate substantial grant acquisition, including programme grants, and highly cited publications of original research in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals (AP). • Demonstrate expertise or familiarity with the operations of a Clinical Research Facility (AP, AS). • Be fully cogniscent of the legislation and guidance in regard of clinical trial delivery and conduct in the UK/ Europe from first in man to phase 4 (AS, I, P). • Have successfully developed and led a programme of research and education (AP, R). • Bring a proven record of teaching at postgraduate level and successful supervision of MSc and PhD students (AP, R). • Have a proven record of successfully managing staff and financial resources (AS, I, R). • Have a proven record in facilitating research and delivery of other teams (AS, I, R).
Leadership and Management Behavioural Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to: • Develop a vision for the future of the CRF, and unite staff behind it (AP, P, I). • Operate across boundaries, marshalling resources and developing successful multidisciplinary research initiatives (AP, I, R). • Facilitate collaboration and internal and external partnerships (AP, I, R). • Build and cultivate effective relationships with academic and clinical colleagues in a multidisciplinary setting (I, R). • Create and maintain a high-performing team (I, R). • Develop the careers of others, and mentor junior faculty and students (I, R).
Personal Characteristics/Other requirements
• Have the necessary ambition, energy, commitment and determination to direct and drive forward the CRF to develop pre-eminence in its field and cultivate new world-leading strands of enquiry (P, I, R). • Be highly collaborative and consensual, with a talent for bringing people together (I, R). • Be resourceful and imaginative, with a natural tendency to seek and exploit opportunities (P, I, R). • Be open-minded, constantly on the look-out for ways of taking research ideas in new directions crossing disciplinary boundaries (P, I, R). • Enjoy the communication, leadership and ambassadorial challenges of the role (P, I, R). • Be aware of the requirement as a Director to manage staff (P, I, R).
NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
About the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre
King's College London
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research.
Our people
Through all our work, we aim to make the world a better place.
About the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is Europe’s largest centre for research and education in psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience. As the premier centre for mental health, neurology and neurosciences research in Europe, The IoPPN generates more highly cited publications in mental health and psychiatry than any other centre worldwide, and is in the top 5 for neuroscience research outputs on the same metric.. Our community of academics work together to translate insights from discovery science (including neuroscience, genomics, social science, and psychology) to interventions to improve patient care and quality of life, and to teach and train the next generation of relevant healthcare practitioners. The 2021 REF results confirmed the faculty's position at the forefront of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience research. The overall quality was rated as 90% either world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*). Our research environment was assessed as 100% at the highest rating of 4* indicating its potential to produce world leading research. Our research also has impact on the world with 100% of our research impact case studies scoring 4* (outstanding) or 3* (very considerable) in terms of its reach and significance. The IoPPN is a flourishing and expanding Faculty of King’s College London, with multidisciplinary expertise, across three academic Schools, and 13 departments, with over 380 academic staff, over 750 research staff and over 2500 taught students. The work of the institute is enhanced through strong partnerships with the South London & Maudsley (SLaM), Guy’s & St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts, within the academic health sciences centre, King’s Health Partners.
People & Structure
The IoPPN is made up of three Schools that allow our academic mission to be carried out across the wider context of mental health. Each school embraces research, education and clinical translation aiming to further understand and improve mental health and treat disorders of the nervous system. Academics also collaborate within IoPPN, across KCL, throughout the UK and across the globe. The Faculty's three Schools are: • Academic Psychiatry (Head – Professor Ed Bullmore) • Neuroscience (Head – Professor Mark Richardson) • Mental Health & Psychological Sciences (Head – Professor Cathryn Lewis) The IoPPN has a deep commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and holds an Athena SWAN award (Silver) from 2014, which was most recently renewed in 2025. The IoPPN puts people at the heart of its success with equality, diversity and inclusion principles applied across all our operations. We provide an inclusive, welcoming, and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and parental leave, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. All Faculty meetings integrate diversity principles across the agenda, ensuring that our management culture addresses inequalities across the protected characteristics, through our work practices, research, and education. We have a very active, diverse, and multidisciplinary network of staff and students across the faculty who are involved in ensuring all underrepresented groups are given the same opportunities to thrive as everyone else. The Faculty is led by the Executive Dean, Professor Matthew Hotopf, supported by the Faculty Senior Leadership Team consisting of the Director of Operations, Vice Dean (Research), Vice Dean (International), Vice Dean (Culture, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion), Dean of Education, the three Heads of School and their Heads of Departments.
Research
Our major strengths in psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience across clinical and basic science disciplines is supported through a range of networks within health. This incorporates King’s Health Partners, including a historical partnership with the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (the largest mental health trust in the country), that serves the communities of South London, and provides specialist services for people from across the UK and beyond. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre brings together scientists, clinicians, allied health professionals, service users and carers from across SLaM NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital and King's College London. The School of Neuroscience is the second largest university department of neuroscience in the UK. Its activity is aligned with five broad themes: neurodevelopment and related disorders; sensation, pain, and hearing loss; injury, regeneration and repair; neurodegeneration and dementia; and neuroimaging and computational neuroscience. The clinical research facilities include the National Institute for Health Research King’s Clinical Research Facility, and the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute (with over 250 clinicians and research scientists, incorporating the UK Dementia Research Institute at KCL). Our King’s Health Partners networks also provide opportunities for further research projects and clinical trials as well as world-class undergraduate and postgraduate training in clinical and academic psychiatry and neuroscience. Research income in the last academic year was approx. £88m, and our new awards topped £51m. Our grants come from a number of sources with research councils and NIHR providing 45%. Our world-leading research influences policy, care and practice. To make such impacts our academics not only work with other universities, but they also interact with industry, healthcare providers and policy makers locally and globally. This ensures that our research is relevant and can influence policy and government on mental health care. We also make sure that service users and carers are involved in designing and carrying out our research as that makes research questions relevant to the real world. Making a difference is at the heart of what we do. Our research has led to the creation of much needed therapies for some of the most severe mental health and neurological disorders, and changes in how governments around the world think about mental illness. The range of impact locally, nationally, and globally encompasses influencing government policy, to co-production and empowering the patient voice and local communities in their own mental healthcare; to enhanced and innovative training for health practitioners; and economic investment in new drugs, models of treatment and care.
Education
Approximately 2500 students are divided across 3 UG programmes, over 20 postgraduate taught programmes and 14 postgraduate research programmes and a variety of healthcare commissioned training courses (including the UK's longest standing Clinical Psychology course). The Faculty strives to deliver research-enhanced and innovative training with clinical placements offered through partnerships across a wide variety of NHS services. As a global centre of excellence for education, research, and clinical training, the postgraduate programmes combine evidence-based teaching and learning, sophisticated patient care planning and extensive research methodology. The Institute supports academic education pathway, which recognises the importance of research in education and its role in developing a curriculum. Science is embedded throughout, and students are taught by internationally leading research academics.
King’s Health Partners
King’s Health Partners (KHP) is an Academic Health Sciences Centre that brings together research, education, and clinical excellence across three NHS Foundation Trusts; Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley, working in partnership with King’s College London as our academic anchor. Together, we combine worldleading research and education with a unique breadth of mental and physical healthcare. Our partnership spans local and community services for people in southeast London, as well as specialist and internationally recognised care, research, and innovation that supports patients across London, the UK, and internationally. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provides the UK’s widest range of NHS mental health services. With more than 6,500 staff and over 270 services, the trust supports 1.3 million people in southeast London and delivers national specialist services for both children and adults. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust delivers a strong profile of local hospital services across Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, and Bromley, while also offering nationally and internationally recognised expertise in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, haematooncology, and foetal medicine. Looking ahead to 2030, King’s Health Partners is committed to leveraging the collective strengths of our organisations through three overarching priorities: delivering personalised health, accelerating digital health, and improving population health. These ambitions are grounded in a firm commitment to integrating mental and physical healthcare, advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, and working in genuine cocreation with patients and service users. These principles shape our strategic objectives, influence how we deliver our work, and underpin the way we evaluate progress and hold ourselves accountable as a partnership. Our partnership is further strengthened by the Centre for Translational Medicine, which brings together scientists, clinicians, and industry partners to accelerate the development of new diagnostics, treatments, and technologies. By connecting leading edge discovery science directly with clinical practice across our trusts, the Centre ensures that innovations can move rapidly from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside, supporting better outcomes and more personalised models of care. Central to this ecosystem is the close alignment between the Director of the King's NIHR Clinical Research Facility and the Director of the Biomedical Research Centre (Professor Grainne McAlonan) as well as Director of the Centre for Translational Medicine (Professor Phil Newsome) and Director of the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People (Professor Philip Shaw). Their collective leadership, alongside strong collaboration with the clinical research facilities at Guy’s and St Thomas’, ensures that translational research is coordinated, strategically aligned, and effectively supported across all sites, enabling a seamless pipeline from discovery to first in-human and early phase clinical studies.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The IoPPN is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe
School of Neuroscience
World-leading neuroscience research at King's
King’s Health Partners
The main aim of King’s Health Partners is to improve NHS care for patients by putting new research findings into practice
Please quote the vacancy id: 138865 in all correspondence.
Closing date for applications: 07 May 2026 23:59
Application process
We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement (circa 2 pages), detailing how they meet the essential requirements in the person specification. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible. We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.
Contact the team
For an informal discussion or to find out more about the role please contact the King’s Search Team.
Selection process
The selection process will include formal interviews taking place in June.
Jobs at King's
Current vacancies and career opportunities
King’s Strategy 2030
In service of society through academic excellence.
Role purpose
• Strategic and/or Management oversight of the CRF. • Delivery of the clinical, academic and business objectives of the CRF. • Contributing to the academic endeavour via research, education and relevant leadership and administrative roles at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. • Contributing to service delivery via provision of clinical consultant sessions/PAs as agreed with the relevant clinical partner organisation.
Leadership responsibilities
Research and Education: • Develop and maintain their own research portfolio within the context of the CRF, attracting funds, growing a team and producing world-leading, internationally excellent outputs in line with expectations of Chair/Reader level appointments at an institute of the IoPPN’s standing. • Option to establish an educational offer in experimental medicine if desired.
Leadership and Management: • Provide overall leadership and direction to the CRF as it develops. • Oversee management and administration of the CRF; supported by a Manager and other key staff. • Oversee preparation and management of annual budget. • Ensure preparation and delivery of relevant reports to core funders. • Contribute to the broader life of the IoPPN/KHP as a member of the senior Faculty. • Ensure appropriate clinical and governance standards are met and maintained. • Investigate breaches in research governance alongside partner organisations as required.
Communication and Networking: • Actively ensure that the CRF is well represented within the decision making of its various partners, and that it is collaborating effectively with all constituents. • Ensure that the CRF and its availability are well understood to relevant medical, academic and industrial user-groups. • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with core funders.
Clinical: • The clinically qualified appointee will have a clinical role appropriate to his or her training and professional licensure. Such appointees hold honorary contracts with the appropriate partner foundation NHS Trusts. • The precise nature of clinical activities will be identified on appointment and a job plan drawn up and agreed with the relevant clinical partner organisation, and in conjunction with the relevant Royal College. Details of appraisal peer groups will be identified at this time. An indicative timetable is shown below. The timing of the actual sessions will be negotiable and will be agreed with the Executive Dean of IoPPN and Medical Director of the relevant partner organisation. The agreed arrangement will be consistent with the expectations for revalidation in the post holder’s particular speciality.
Job Plan
Total number of Programmed Activities (PAs) = 10 A typical job plan will look as follows: • 4 PAs – Clinical Research Facility directorship (providing strategic leadership and operational oversight etc) • 2 PAs – Personal clinical activity • 4 PAs – Standard KCL clinical academic activity
The NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility
The NIHR funded King’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF) provides an excellent, safe and efficient environment for the delivery of early translational and experimental medicine studies, with a special focus on mental health and neuroscience, while also supporting haematooncology, cardiovascular medicine, liver disease, diabetes and advanced therapies (including ATIMPs and CART). Opened in 2014, the CRF now supports a significantly expanded portfolio of 181 open studies, up from 88 at the last renewal, reflecting strong demand for experimental medicine capability across King’s Health Partners (KHP) The CRF plays a catalytic role in coalescing the existent portfolio of excellent experimental medicine and clinical trials taking place across KHP within a dedicated specialist clinical research environment and serves as a tool for attracting new commercial clients and/or research collaborations from the pharmaceutical sector. The CRF is sited over two co-located buildings, providing some 3000 sq m. It has four main components: - An Experimental Medicine Facility, including fMRI (EMF); - A Clinical Trials Facility (CTF); - A Cell Therapy Unit (CTU); - An Administrative Centre (AC).
Structure
Experimental Medicine Facility:
The EMF is mainly housed across two floors of one of the buildings, which is newly constructed. This facility includes interview rooms with computerised cognitive stations, clinical rooms with beds, reclining chairs for sampling and monitoring, state of the art EEG equipment, a purpose-built virtual reality suite, intensive care equipment and a 3T MRI scanner as well as a new Hyperfine scanner.
Clinical Trials Facility:
Occupying the ground floor of one of the buildings and designed in conjunction with current users and industrial collaborators, the CTF aims to provide a state-of-the-art facility for commercially sponsored clinical trials. The CTF divides into two major areas; a 12 bedded facility with three isolation (quiet) room bed, and an eight fully reclining chaired facility. Both areas are open plan but with easy access to individual consulting rooms where study participants can be interviewed and examined safely, appropriately and confidentially.
Cell Therapy Unit:
The CTU is also housed in the new building and is one of the largest manufacturing facilities of its kind currently built in either academia or industry in Europe, with capacity to produce more than six final products simultaneously.
Administrative Centre:
In addition to the research facilities, there are offices for the Directorate, a meeting rooms and a seven person desk area with appropriate IT connectivity.
Governance
Scientific Board and Management Board:
The day-to-day management of the CRF is led by a Management Board with representation of all the relevant stakeholders. The Management Board is responsible for implementation of the strategy as developed in the NIHR grant and is responsible for the regulatory, clinical, operational and financial management of the CRF. The Management Board reports to the CRF Steering Group that is made up by representatives of the partners. Close working relationships with the KHP Clinical Trials Office and R&D office is required to ensure appropriate governance.
Operating Model and Budget:
The CRF is a collaborative centre for staff from KCL, SLaM and KCH, housed in a hospital (KCH) building. The provision of all services for its maintenance, for staff employment and for budgetary overview, relies on linkages between the CRF itself and KCH, through the Corporate Services Division. In ensuring that the CRF functions appropriately and delivers against its agenda, it reports via its Management Board to the Steering Committee, which is chaired by the R&D Drector of SLaM (Professor Fiona Gaughran) and includes senior representation from KHP, all three partner organisations and the MH-BRC. The CRF has an operating budget of about £2.5M. Core grant support is about £1m yearly, and the other half is generated through activity dependent charges. The Director is supported by a lead Nurse Manager, (Ms Elka Giemza) and the academic lead for the CTU (Professor Anil Dhawan) and the Deputy Director (Professor James Galloway). Administrative support will be provided for the Director.
Strategy
A major strategic strength is our concentration of expertise and infrastructure in mental health and neuroscience, underpinned by world leading academic excellence at King’s College London, Europe’s largest mental health provider (SLaM), and one of the UK’s largest neuroscience centres (KCH). Specialist facilities - including advanced EEG and neurophysiology, a virtual reality suite, and both full body and head only 3T MRI - allow the CRF to support complex studies that could not be delivered in standard clinical environments. Our staff, including mental health nurses experienced in high-risk, early phase work, ensure safe delivery of high intensity experimental protocols.leading academic excellence at King’s College London, Europe’s largest mental health provider (SLaM), and one of the UK’s largest neuroscience centres (KCH). Specialist facilitiesreality suite, and both fullbody and headonly 3T MRIrisk, earlyphase work, ensure safe delivery of highintensity experimental protocols. Our large, diverse local population (over 60% from ethnicities other than white British) allows us to address inequalities in research participation. We embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) throughout study design, recruitment and conduct, working closely with the SLaM BRC’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Group (READ), the INCLUDE guidance, and community based outreach to widen access. We are also developing an integrated partnership with the Pears Maudsley Centre, including plans for coworking and staff exchange to build capacity for child and adolescent experimental medicine - an area of rising strategic priority.based outreach to widen access. We are also developing an integrated partnership with the Pears Maudsley Centre, including plans for coworking and staff exchange to build capacity for child and adolescent experimental medicine The CRF prioritises and actively manages its research portfolio through a structured oversight process led by the Director. Studies are evaluated on strategic alignment, scientific importance, safety and feasibility, including modelling of recruitment and participant acceptability. Active portfolio management allows the CRF to support challenging high intensity work while balancing resources across disease areas. Our agility was demonstrated through our pivotal role as the hub for COVID19 experimental medicine studies during the pandemic, and we remain prepared to mobilise rapidly in future public health emergencies.intensity work while balancing resources across disease areas. Our agility was demonstrated through our pivotal role as the hub for COVID19 experimental medicine studies during the pandemic, and we remain prepared to mobilise rapidly in future publichealth emergencies. The CRF operates with robust management systems to ensure safe, highquality research delivery. As a fully embedded part of KCH, our facilities operate with hospitalgrade emergency systems, including unannounced drills and learning from real events. Twothirds of our studies are categorised as medium or high intensity, and around a third of patient visits require a monitored bed. Quality management is underpinned by more than 80 reviewed and continuously updated SOPs covering governance, clinical activity, laboratory procedures and studyspecific risks. All staff maintain GCP certification, and we work closely with the KCH R&I Office to ensure full regulatory readiness. We are committed to delivering studies to time and target. Early engagement with investigators ensures clear expectations around staffing, equipment, timelines and participant management. Our monitoring of study progress includes a visitdelivery ratio that allows early identification of barriers and proactive intervention. Retention is enhanced by a patientcentred model of care, close collaboration with our PPI/E groups, and specialist support for participants with mentalhealth, behavioural or neurocognitive challenges. The Director of the CRF will play a central role in achieving these objectives by driving strategic leadership, ensuring operational excellence, fostering academic and clinical partnerships, and enabling highimpact experimental medicine research across the KHP network.
Reporting Lines
In an academic capacity, the appointee will report to the Head of School of Neuroscience (Professor Mark Richardson). In the Director capacity, there is a dotted line to the R&D Director of SLaM (Professor Fiona Gaughran).
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The IoPPN is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe
King's Clinical Research Facility
CRF is uniquely positioned to draw on research and treatment expertise across physical and mental healthcare.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
King's College Hospital
NHS King's College Hospital
The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following skills, qualities, and experience: (*How identified and assessed – AP = application, AS = assessment, I = interview, P = presentation, R = references)
Education/Qualification and Training
• Hold a primary medical degree and full GMC registration (AP). • PhD or equivalent Doctoral qualification (AP). • Registered as a Specialist in Neurology/Neuroscience on GMC Specialist Register in Neurology, or on foreign equivalent and eligible for inclusion (AP). • Member of the Royal College, or completion of equivalent international training in neurology (AP).
Experience
• Bring a track record of highly interdisciplinary, innovative, translational research (AP). • Have a proven clinical record (AP). • Demonstrate substantial grant acquisition, including programme grants, and highly cited publications of original research in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals (AP). • Demonstrate expertise or familiarity with the operations of a Clinical Research Facility (AP, AS). • Be fully cogniscent of the legislation and guidance in regard of clinical trial delivery and conduct in the UK/ Europe from first in man to phase 4 (AS, I, P). • Have successfully developed and led a programme of research and education (AP, R). • Bring a proven record of teaching at postgraduate level and successful supervision of MSc and PhD students (AP, R). • Have a proven record of successfully managing staff and financial resources (AS, I, R). • Have a proven record in facilitating research and delivery of other teams (AS, I, R).
Leadership and Management Behavioural Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to: • Develop a vision for the future of the CRF, and unite staff behind it (AP, P, I). • Operate across boundaries, marshalling resources and developing successful multidisciplinary research initiatives (AP, I, R). • Facilitate collaboration and internal and external partnerships (AP, I, R). • Build and cultivate effective relationships with academic and clinical colleagues in a multidisciplinary setting (I, R). • Create and maintain a high-performing team (I, R). • Develop the careers of others, and mentor junior faculty and students (I, R).
Personal Characteristics/Other requirements
• Have the necessary ambition, energy, commitment and determination to direct and drive forward the CRF to develop pre-eminence in its field and cultivate new world-leading strands of enquiry (P, I, R). • Be highly collaborative and consensual, with a talent for bringing people together (I, R). • Be resourceful and imaginative, with a natural tendency to seek and exploit opportunities (P, I, R). • Be open-minded, constantly on the look-out for ways of taking research ideas in new directions crossing disciplinary boundaries (P, I, R). • Enjoy the communication, leadership and ambassadorial challenges of the role (P, I, R). • Be aware of the requirement as a Director to manage staff (P, I, R).
NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
About the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre
King's College London
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research.
Our people
Through all our work, we aim to make the world a better place.
About the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is Europe’s largest centre for research and education in psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience. As the premier centre for mental health, neurology and neurosciences research in Europe, The IoPPN generates more highly cited publications in mental health and psychiatry than any other centre worldwide, and is in the top 5 for neuroscience research outputs on the same metric.. Our community of academics work together to translate insights from discovery science (including neuroscience, genomics, social science, and psychology) to interventions to improve patient care and quality of life, and to teach and train the next generation of relevant healthcare practitioners. The 2021 REF results confirmed the faculty's position at the forefront of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience research. The overall quality was rated as 90% either world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*). Our research environment was assessed as 100% at the highest rating of 4* indicating its potential to produce world leading research. Our research also has impact on the world with 100% of our research impact case studies scoring 4* (outstanding) or 3* (very considerable) in terms of its reach and significance. The IoPPN is a flourishing and expanding Faculty of King’s College London, with multidisciplinary expertise, across three academic Schools, and 13 departments, with over 380 academic staff, over 750 research staff and over 2500 taught students. The work of the institute is enhanced through strong partnerships with the South London & Maudsley (SLaM), Guy’s & St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts, within the academic health sciences centre, King’s Health Partners.
People & Structure
The IoPPN is made up of three Schools that allow our academic mission to be carried out across the wider context of mental health. Each school embraces research, education and clinical translation aiming to further understand and improve mental health and treat disorders of the nervous system. Academics also collaborate within IoPPN, across KCL, throughout the UK and across the globe. The Faculty's three Schools are: • Academic Psychiatry (Head – Professor Ed Bullmore) • Neuroscience (Head – Professor Mark Richardson) • Mental Health & Psychological Sciences (Head – Professor Cathryn Lewis) The IoPPN has a deep commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and holds an Athena SWAN award (Silver) from 2014, which was most recently renewed in 2025. The IoPPN puts people at the heart of its success with equality, diversity and inclusion principles applied across all our operations. We provide an inclusive, welcoming, and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and parental leave, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. All Faculty meetings integrate diversity principles across the agenda, ensuring that our management culture addresses inequalities across the protected characteristics, through our work practices, research, and education. We have a very active, diverse, and multidisciplinary network of staff and students across the faculty who are involved in ensuring all underrepresented groups are given the same opportunities to thrive as everyone else. The Faculty is led by the Executive Dean, Professor Matthew Hotopf, supported by the Faculty Senior Leadership Team consisting of the Director of Operations, Vice Dean (Research), Vice Dean (International), Vice Dean (Culture, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion), Dean of Education, the three Heads of School and their Heads of Departments.
Research
Our major strengths in psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience across clinical and basic science disciplines is supported through a range of networks within health. This incorporates King’s Health Partners, including a historical partnership with the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (the largest mental health trust in the country), that serves the communities of South London, and provides specialist services for people from across the UK and beyond. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre brings together scientists, clinicians, allied health professionals, service users and carers from across SLaM NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital and King's College London. The School of Neuroscience is the second largest university department of neuroscience in the UK. Its activity is aligned with five broad themes: neurodevelopment and related disorders; sensation, pain, and hearing loss; injury, regeneration and repair; neurodegeneration and dementia; and neuroimaging and computational neuroscience. The clinical research facilities include the National Institute for Health Research King’s Clinical Research Facility, and the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute (with over 250 clinicians and research scientists, incorporating the UK Dementia Research Institute at KCL). Our King’s Health Partners networks also provide opportunities for further research projects and clinical trials as well as world-class undergraduate and postgraduate training in clinical and academic psychiatry and neuroscience. Research income in the last academic year was approx. £88m, and our new awards topped £51m. Our grants come from a number of sources with research councils and NIHR providing 45%. Our world-leading research influences policy, care and practice. To make such impacts our academics not only work with other universities, but they also interact with industry, healthcare providers and policy makers locally and globally. This ensures that our research is relevant and can influence policy and government on mental health care. We also make sure that service users and carers are involved in designing and carrying out our research as that makes research questions relevant to the real world. Making a difference is at the heart of what we do. Our research has led to the creation of much needed therapies for some of the most severe mental health and neurological disorders, and changes in how governments around the world think about mental illness. The range of impact locally, nationally, and globally encompasses influencing government policy, to co-production and empowering the patient voice and local communities in their own mental healthcare; to enhanced and innovative training for health practitioners; and economic investment in new drugs, models of treatment and care.
Education
Approximately 2500 students are divided across 3 UG programmes, over 20 postgraduate taught programmes and 14 postgraduate research programmes and a variety of healthcare commissioned training courses (including the UK's longest standing Clinical Psychology course). The Faculty strives to deliver research-enhanced and innovative training with clinical placements offered through partnerships across a wide variety of NHS services. As a global centre of excellence for education, research, and clinical training, the postgraduate programmes combine evidence-based teaching and learning, sophisticated patient care planning and extensive research methodology. The Institute supports academic education pathway, which recognises the importance of research in education and its role in developing a curriculum. Science is embedded throughout, and students are taught by internationally leading research academics.
King’s Health Partners
King’s Health Partners (KHP) is an Academic Health Sciences Centre that brings together research, education, and clinical excellence across three NHS Foundation Trusts; Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley, working in partnership with King’s College London as our academic anchor. Together, we combine worldleading research and education with a unique breadth of mental and physical healthcare. Our partnership spans local and community services for people in southeast London, as well as specialist and internationally recognised care, research, and innovation that supports patients across London, the UK, and internationally. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provides the UK’s widest range of NHS mental health services. With more than 6,500 staff and over 270 services, the trust supports 1.3 million people in southeast London and delivers national specialist services for both children and adults. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust delivers a strong profile of local hospital services across Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, and Bromley, while also offering nationally and internationally recognised expertise in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, haematooncology, and foetal medicine. Looking ahead to 2030, King’s Health Partners is committed to leveraging the collective strengths of our organisations through three overarching priorities: delivering personalised health, accelerating digital health, and improving population health. These ambitions are grounded in a firm commitment to integrating mental and physical healthcare, advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, and working in genuine cocreation with patients and service users. These principles shape our strategic objectives, influence how we deliver our work, and underpin the way we evaluate progress and hold ourselves accountable as a partnership. Our partnership is further strengthened by the Centre for Translational Medicine, which brings together scientists, clinicians, and industry partners to accelerate the development of new diagnostics, treatments, and technologies. By connecting leading edge discovery science directly with clinical practice across our trusts, the Centre ensures that innovations can move rapidly from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside, supporting better outcomes and more personalised models of care. Central to this ecosystem is the close alignment between the Director of the King's NIHR Clinical Research Facility and the Director of the Biomedical Research Centre (Professor Grainne McAlonan) as well as Director of the Centre for Translational Medicine (Professor Phil Newsome) and Director of the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People (Professor Philip Shaw). Their collective leadership, alongside strong collaboration with the clinical research facilities at Guy’s and St Thomas’, ensures that translational research is coordinated, strategically aligned, and effectively supported across all sites, enabling a seamless pipeline from discovery to first in-human and early phase clinical studies.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The IoPPN is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe
School of Neuroscience
World-leading neuroscience research at King's
King’s Health Partners
The main aim of King’s Health Partners is to improve NHS care for patients by putting new research findings into practice
Please quote the vacancy id: 138865 in all correspondence.
Closing date for applications: 07 May 2026 23:59
Application process
We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement (circa 2 pages), detailing how they meet the essential requirements in the person specification. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible. We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.
Contact the team
For an informal discussion or to find out more about the role please contact the King’s Search Team.
Selection process
The selection process will include formal interviews taking place in June.
Jobs at King's
Current vacancies and career opportunities
King’s Strategy 2030
In service of society through academic excellence.