Research England Council member
Dr Sharon Ellis is a member of Research England’s Council.
Sharon is the Chief Operations Officer of Queen Mary University of London, responsible for much of the university’s professional services team that supports education, research and knowledge exchange.
Sharon worked previously at various government departments (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trade and Industry, Transport) in roles related to research management, business efficiency and European negotiation and policy delivery.
In her last role before leaving the civil service, Sharon was the Director of International Science and Innovation at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. There she was responsible for policies related to science and innovation in the context of EU Exit and wider international partnerships, and departmental sponsorship of a number of public sector research establishments including:
- the UK Space Agency
- National Physical Laboratory
- the Met Office
Sharon is a governor at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She is the current Chair of Queen Mary Innovations Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary which maximises the impact of research, through licences and spinout companies, as well as supporting the wider innovation ecosystem within and around Queen Mary.
Sharon has a PhD in climate change mitigation strategies in agricultural systems from the University of Birmingham.
Period of appointment: July 2023 to March 2027.
Last updated: 1 September 2023