Join our Scientific Advisory Panel

The opportunity

We are looking to expand our Scientific Advisory Panel and are particularly interested in hearing from:

Allied health professional researchers
Early career researchers
Researchers with experience of AI and new technologies
Statisticians and/or health economists
Researchers interested in tackling health inequalities

We already have a good representation of University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals staff on the Scientific Advisory Panel and would therefore encourage applicants who do not work or are not affiliated with either of these organisations.

Leeds Hospitals Charity strongly believes that greater diversity improves performance, and we aim to attract talented people to reflect the communities with which we work. We strongly encourage applications from groups which are under-represented on our existing Scientific Advisory Panel, in particular, candidates with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

This is a voluntary role to be conducted remotely.

Our research

Since April 2021 Leeds Hospitals Charity has provided over £25m of additional funding to support Leeds Teaching Hospitals including over £7m of investment into research and innovation. The largest grant during this period was £2.6m as part of a £5m partnership to improve health outcomes for children: CHORAL Child Health Outcomes Research at Leeds.

Details of other projects funded over the past four years can be found here on our webpages: Research and Innovation Projects

As a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities we have developed our research management processes to uphold the principles of expert review, ensuring the Charity funds high quality research that has the potential to deliver impact for patients in Leeds and beyond. As part of these processes, we established an independent panel of experts who form the Scientific Advisory Panel who can support the Charity’s decision-making processes.

Leeds Hospitals Charity is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities, and all research and innovation grant funding is awarded in line with its policies and principles.

Explore our ongoing research efforts

Scientific Advisory Panel

The Scientific Advisory Panel is chaired by Dr Jonathan Sheffield CBE and normally meets quarterly via Teams. The Panel comprises of clinicians, academics and researchers external to Leeds Hospitals Charity.

The Panel is responsible for scrutinising and scoring applications for research funding and as part of this process considers a range of factors including:

Scientific and clinical relevance of a proposal
Potential for the work to lead to significant advancement in scientific understanding and or improvements in clinical practice
Feasibility of the proposed objectives and the appropriateness of the research plan and methodology and value for money

Whilst not responsible for deciding whether funding should be awarded, the Scientific Advisory Panel will make recommendations to the Research & Innovation Committee in respect of applications for research and innovation funding and is therefore an integral part of the Charity’s research processes.

Time commitment

Quarterly meetings of 2-2.5 hours, plus preparatory reading and assessment time of approximately 3 hours before each meeting. The meetings are held via Teams.

We expect members to attend most meetings but understand that annual leave or other commitments may mean that you can’t attend every meeting.

Between the quarterly meetings, members will be asked to evaluate projects of a smaller value via email.

How to apply

If you would like an informal conversation about the opportunity, please contact Charlotte Self, Grants Manager – [email protected]

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter which explains:

• Why you would like to join the Scientific Advisory Panel
• What you hope to gain from joining the Panel
• What you can bring to the Panel

Please email your CV and cover letter to: [email protected] by 23:59 on Tuesday 30th June 2026.

Shortlisted applicants will be informally interviewed by:

Dr Jonathan Sheffield CBE Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel
Dr Cassie Doherty Trustee and Chair of the Research & Innovation Committee (or other nominated Trustee)
Becky Baldaro-Booth Director of Grants & Impact

Benefits of working at Leeds Hospitals Charity

We are a Disability Confident Employer

Deadline for applicants: Tuesday 30th June 2026

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