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NUH research leaders appointed to national quality assessment panels
Dr Maria Koufali, Managing Director of Research & Innovation at NUH (pictured), has been appointed as an assessor to the Allied Health Professionals, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy sub-panel, for the first time.
Dr Maria Koufali, who has extensive experience in research leadership, strategic management and industry partnerships as well as frontline research science, said: “As one of the most research-active hospitals in the country, with a developing portfolio of research being led by allied health professionals, as well as nurses and doctors, Nottingham University Hospitals is very well placed to bring this perspective to the assessment of clinical research nationally. I am very much looking forward to working with colleagues from a broad range of research backgrounds.”
Professor Ian Hall, Director of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and Respiratory Consultant at NUH, as well as Professor of Molecular Medicine
at the University of Nottingham, was re-appointed to the REF, as Vice Chair of the Clinical Medicine sub-panel for 2021.
Professor Ian Hall said: “Clinical research in the UK is amongst the very best globally, and as COVID-19 has shown, the UK’s researchers and scientists are truly world-leading. This is in large part due to the very high quality standards in our academic and research institutions. The REF is an important part of providing the evidence of the impact of our research on the health of the nation and I am delighted to be involved in the 2021 assessments.”
The role of the REF is to assess the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It first took place in 2014 and the next exercise will be conducted during 2021. The REF replaced the previous Research Assessment Exercise.
Over 400 new members, assessors and specialist advisers have been appointed to the REF sub-panels, following a nomination process earlier this year.
The new panellists include leading researchers from across a range of universities in the UK and beyond, and experts in the use and benefits of research who will play a key role in assessing the wider impact of research.
The 34 expert sub-panels will carry out the detailed assessment of submissions between May 2021 and February 2022, working under the guidance of four main panels.
Professor Hall and Dr Koufali will take up their positions with immediate effect.
The closing date for submissions to the REF is next March and the REF outcomes are expected in Spring 2022.