Stephen has taken over the leadership of the Trust from Pierre Espinasse who managed operations at the charity since 2011. The Trust has evolved considerably under Pierre's expert guidance, most notably through its support of the Kennedy Institute's relocation from Imperial College London to its current site at the heart of the University of Oxford's Old Road Campus.
Pierre has also overseen significant funding and support initiatives at the Kennedy Institute including a pledge of £20M over five years to support pioneering research into chronic inflammatory disease, and funding to establish the Career Development Programme, enabling early career researchers to take the first step in running their own lab. The Kennedy Institute also benefits from some of the Trust's key external funding initiatives, spearheaded by Pierre, including the £2.5M Senior Research Fellowship programme launched in 2017 and the MB PhD scheme which will provide funding for 75 students over 7 years across the universities of Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Professor Dame Fiona Powrie, Director of the Kennedy Institute, added "Pierre has provided vital support to the Kennedy Institute for more than a decade. We wish him all the best for the future, and we look forward to continuing our close relationship with the Kennedy Trust under the expert leadership of Stephen Simpson."
Stephen joins the Trust with a background in medical research and in life sciences research funding. Most recently, Stephen was Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, where he led teams in the development and implementation of research, including new areas of research translation and partnership funding. During his time at the charity, Stephen championed the development of musculoskeletal research through the creation of new funding initiatives and the promotion of pain research and patient involvement.