MRC Director of Policy, Ethics and Governance
Claire Newland is the Director of Policy, Ethics and Governance for the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Claire joined MRC in 2000, following a 10-year career as a neuroscientist at the University of Washington, US, and University of Oxford. While at MRC, Claire has lead strategic, policy and operational objectives spanning the breadth of MRC biomedical health research portfolios. These include phase III clinical trials, global health, genetics and genomics, precision medicine, and leading on data science.
Claire’s current responsibilities include:
- providing leadership for MRC in research and corporate ethics, research integrity, good research practice, open science, and the responsible use of animals in research
- overseeing the review or development of policies and interventions to improve research quality and conduct, both nationally and internationally, often in partnership with other stakeholders
- providing national leadership on selected policy areas relevant to MRC, actively engaging with stakeholders across UKRI, government departments, parliaments, learned societies and academies, and other research funders and agencies
- overseeing effective corporate governance, ensuring public accountability, transparency of MRC business, government, UKRI, and legislative requirements and compliance are met
- interpreting the implications of domestic and international legislation and regulation for MRC’s research, and ensuring that the interests of the UK biomedical research community are represented effectively in relation to any proposed changes
Last updated: 5 September 2023