CaSE Board

Robert is an independent Technology and Policy Advisor.  Prior to that he was was BP’s Vice President for Research & Innovation for BP’s global Formulated Products (Fuels and Lubricants) Technology, and also BP’s technology policy advisor for the UK and EU. Robert joined BP in 1987 from Durham University having earlier completed his PhD at Cambridge University.

Lesley Yellowlees is an Inorganic Chemist with interests in renewable energy, public engagement of science and promoting women in science. Lesley was Head of the School of Chemistry and then Vice Principal and Head of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. She was President of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2012-14, their first woman president in 175 years. She was awarded an MBE in 2005 for services to science, a CBE for services to Chemistry in 2014 and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2012.

David Parfrey is Executive Chair for Anglia Innovation Partnership LLP (AIP LLP ), the LLP responsible for bringing the Norwich Research Park vision to life. He was previously Executive Director, Finance & Campus Operations for the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Perdita has a portfolio of board roles across the private, public, charity and university sectors, with a specific interest in innovation, sustainability, partnerships and skills. Roles include chair of National Numeracy, NED at National Lottery Community Fund and the University of Edinburgh. A former JP Morgan investment banker, she has 15+ years experience in US and UK cleantech and 30 years’ involvement with several youth/employability charities.

Ron has held executive positions in information and analytics companies including seven years as CEO at Elsevier and five years as President/COO at IHS. He is currently Vice Chair and Supervisory Board Member at Fugro N.V., the world’s leading geo-data specialist and a Non-a Non-Executive Director at Ordnance Survey.

Professor Andrew Jones is Vice-Chancellor and President of Brunel University. He is an inter-disciplinary social scientist with a background as an economic geographer. Andrew is a trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Academy of Social Science and holds several UKRI appointments.

Catherine is Executive Director for Dance City and was CEO of Kielder Observatory for 4 years, successfully guiding the organisation through the pandemic and through a business planning process, creating a happy, vibrant, high-profile and high-performing organisation poised for sustainable growth. Prior to that Catherine was Director of the North East Centre of Excellence for Satellite Applications, building the fastest growing space cluster in the UK. Catherine was instrumental in turning the North East Technology Park from “two buildings in a field” to a £100M pioneering science park, was Vice-Chair of the United Kingdom Science Park Association, a Board Director of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), founded Women in IASP, and sat on the Women’s Advisory Board for the North East Chamber of Commerce. Catherine is a highly experienced trustee and director, currently a board director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, and for iGiant, a Washington DC-based innovation accelerator. She is on the national evaluation for Strength in Places, Innovate UK’s £300M innovation fund, and will be joining the Council of the British School at Rome in 2024.

Jane is a communications consultant and journalist. She joined the Francis Crick Institute as Director of Communications and Public Engagement in 2018 after several years leading communications and engagement teams in health campaigning organisations. Before moving into communications, she worked as a BBC correspondent, covering health and medical research for a number of years.

Sinéad is a solicitor and in 2018 was appointed Director of Legal Affairs and Board Secretariat at the University of Manchester where she has oversight of all legal matters at the University and leads a team of solicitors and governance specialists.  Sinéad joined the University of Manchester in 2010, initially focussing on employment law and later developing a wider involvement, particularly on governance matters. Prior to joining the University, Sinéad worked for over 10 year as a solicitor in private practice with Mills and Reeve, LLP.  Sinead holds an MA in Law from the University of Cambridge.

Kim is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, and Provost at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to that role, she was Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Enterprise at Cardiff University. She has previously held leadership positions for grant funders and other organisations, including the role of Deputy Chair for the MRC Non-Clinical Career Development and Training Panel and panel member for REF 2014 UoA4.  Kim is a member of the UKRI MRC Council. She was previously Chair of the GW4 Board, and a member of the Wales Science and Innovation Advisory Council and the HEFCW Research Committee. Kim gained her PhD at St John’s College, Cambridge University in 1995.

Mark Price is Professor of Aeronautics and former Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. A Chartered Engineer he worked in the Aerospace and Software industries before turning to academia where he now leads the Re-Imagining Engineering Design Programme at QUB and High Value Design activity in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. He is currently a member of the Zero Emissions Flight Aircraft Subgroup of Jet Zero Council.  He was formerly Chair of the EPSRC Manufacturing the Future Strategic Advisory Team and a formerly a Trustee of the James Kane Foundation.

Mark has been Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Biology since its inception in 2009. Mark joined the RSB from the RNID, where he was the Executive director for Science and Enterprise. Prior to that he spent three years as the UK’s lead policy official at the Department of Trade and Industry for a range of EU-led environmental legislation. Earlier in his career he held responsibility for bilateral and multilateral trade policy at the British Embassy in Japan. He has a Ph.D in Biotechnology.

Stephen has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Glasgow Science Centre since 2012. Stephen’s background is in engineering and he holds a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Electrical Engineering, both from the University of Strathclyde.

Bryony brings in-depth knowledge of R&D policy, funding and implementation in Government from over 20 years of experience working in the R&D sector. She has worked as a civil servant across several government departments on a range of policy issues including leading work on the case for investment in research and innovation. She played a leading role in setting up of UKRI and the Higher Education and Research Act before leading work on infrastructure investment and financial sustainability for UKRI. She is currently Director Research and Innovation at Queen Mary University London where she oversees research support functions, impact, business development, PGR support and other key programmes.

Helen has worked on research and innovation policy in the UK for nearly a decade. She is currently the Head of Innovation, Analysis and Public affairs at the Royal Academy of Engineering, where she works with engineers from industry and academia to produce, evidence-based and timely policy advice to inform the environment needed for UK engineering research and innovation to thrive. She has completed two secondments in the civil service, most recently on science and technology strategy in the Cabinet Office. Before moving into policy, she enjoyed working in academia as a molecular microbiologist.

CaSE requires Board members to disclose any private interests they have which may conflict, or may be perceived to conflict, with CaSE’s business. Click here to see the current list of disclosures.