Nigel is Director of Research Talent at King’s College London, a role he’s held for the last 6 years. His department comprises the Centre for Doctoral Studies and the Centre for Research Staff Development.

Nigel leads on the delivery of King’s Doctoral Student Strategy, working in partnership with the academic Deans for Doctoral Studies, Professor Rebecca Oakey and Professor Peter Heather. The Centre for Doctoral Studies looks after all doctoral student regulations and policies, communications, community-building, scholarships and training & development. Nigel is also the senior Professional Services lead for all King’s Doctoral Training Entities. King’s has a centrally coordinated team that supports all UKRI partnerships & centres, so we can share good practice, maximise opportunities and deliver a consistent, world-class experience for our doctoral students.

Nigel was elected as co-Chair of the UKCGE Doctoral Deans & Directors network, with his 3-year term running through to March 2025. The network is a forum for senior leaders in postgraduate education to make collective recommendations for the management of postgraduate provision in the UK.

Nigel’s career at King’s started nearly 10 years ago as Head of Researcher Training and Development, delivering a broad portfolio of personal and professional development opportunities for all King’s 5000 PGRs and research staff.

Following a PhD in Biochemistry at Imperial College London, and a brief period as a postdoc, Nigel spent 10 years supporting early career researchers – 5 years each at the British Science Association and Academy of Medical Sciences. These roles were all about equipping researchers (particularly doctoral students) to development themselves, enhance their skills, broaden their networks and fulfil their potential. Nigel designed & delivered events & programmes that engaged the public in research and ran a mentoring & career development programme for clinical researchers.