King's College London

Sam Norton holds a joint appointment as Professor of Medical Statistics & Applied Health Research across the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and the Department of Inflammation Biology in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine. This unique position reflects his work bridging quantitative methods with applications in both mental and physical health

Professor Norton's path to King's began in 2004 as a research assistant on the Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Network at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, followed by roles at the University of Hertfordshire's Research & Development Support Unit (later becoming the NIHR Research Design Service) and a PhD at the University of Hertfordshire. After a postdoctoral position at Cambridge, he joined King's as a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology in 2012, with his role expanding in 2016 to include a joint appointment with the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases in the Department of Inflammation Biology.

Throughout his career, he has attracted over £20 million in grant funding from sources including the NIHR, Versus Arthritis and an MQ fellowship, and published over 250 peer-reviewed papers. His research spans both mental and physical health, with a particular focus on chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. He aims to improve patient outcomes by applying robust statistical methods in research.

Beyond his own research, Professor Norton has played a significant role in strengthening health research more broadly through his work with the NIHR Research Support Service (formerly the NIHR Research Design Service), providing statistical expertise and mentorship to researchers across multiple institutions.

In addition to his research, he was appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Psychology in 2024 and leads the Trial Statistics Hub in the School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, working closely with statisticians affiliated with King's Clinical Trials Unit to support rigorous trial methodology, He has also contributed to teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the University of Hertfordshire, Cambridge and King’s.

In his lecture, Professor Norton reflected on his career journey in psychology, rheumatology and statistics. He linked the King’s motto “Sancte et Sapienter” (“With Holiness and Wisdom”) to the process of learning from mistakes, acknowledging that wisdom often comes through trial and error rather than getting things right the first time. He shared examples of key lessons learnt during his own career showing how mistakes can be stepping stones to scientific understanding.

Cathryn Lewis, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology & Statistics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and Head of the School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences, opened the lecture, praising Professor Norton for his commitment to upholding King’s values through transdisciplinary research that crosses traditional academic boundaries.

The Vote of Thanks was delivered by James Galloway, Professor of Rheumatology in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, who emphasised how Professor Norton’s groundbreaking work changed the way rheumatoid drugs were costed, and therefore how they were used in the NHS, and admired his ability to skillfully communicate complex statistics.

Watch the full lecture

For more information, please contact Milly Remmington (School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences Communications Manager).