Director of the King’s NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF) & Clinical Professor

King’s College London is one of the world’s leading universities, internationally recognised for research excellence, education and its commitment to improving health and society. Through King’s Health Partners (KHP) – our Academic Health Sciences Centre uniting Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust – we combine world-leading research and education with exceptional breadth in mental and physical healthcare. Spanning community services in southeast London and internationally recognised specialist expertise, this partnership creates one of the UK’s most dynamic environments for translational research.

At the heart of this ecosystem is the NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF), a flagship centre for early translational and experimental medicine. With state-of-the-art facilities – advanced EEG and neurophysiology suites, immersive virtual-reality environments, monitored clinical trial beds, and 3T and Hyperfine MRI – the CRF delivers complex, high-intensity studies. Uniquely positioned within KHP, it bridges disciplines by bringing together Europe’s largest provider of mental healthcare at SLaM and one of the UK’s most significant neuroscience centres at King’s College Hospital, enabling studies that explore the interconnections between brain, behaviour and disease.

We now seek an outstanding clinical academic to lead the CRF into its next phase of growth and ambition. The Director will be an internationally recognised clinician–scientist with vision, collaborative leadership and ability to unite multidisciplinary teams around a shared purpose: accelerating discovery, delivering world-class experimental medicine, and ensuring King’s remains at the forefront of translational research nationally and internationally. Working closely with stakeholders across the partnership, the role will align strategy and enable a seamless pipeline from discovery science to first-in-human and early-phase clinical studies across the KHP network.

The successful candidate will demonstrate innovative, interdisciplinary research, substantial grant income and high-impact publications. They will bring strategic insight to shape the CRF’s future direction, operational acumen to ensure safe and effective delivery of complex studies, and ambassadorial strength to build and sustain partnerships across academia, the NHS, industry and NIHR infrastructure. In a Professorship capacity, they will contribute to the academic mission of the IoPPN through research, education and leadership.

We particularly welcome candidates from neurology, neurosurgery, neurophysiology, stroke medicine, neuroradiology, neurorehabilitation, neuropsychiatry and related specialties.

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the UK’s most important translational research assets, shaping strategy, strengthening partnerships and ensuring its contribution to improving patient care. We seek a visionary, collaborative and energetic leader who thrives on building teams, forging connections and translating scientific ideas into clinical breakthroughs.

For further information, please consult the job description. To apply, visit the  King’s College London Job Opportunities page  and submit the specified documentation. Informal enquiries may be directed to the King’s Search Team; contact Sarah Fraser or Robyn Eade at kings-search@kcl.ac.uk. 

The advert closes on Wednesday 1 April 2026. The selection process will include a presentation and panel interview. Interviews and assessments will be held from late April to early June (first stage interviews are currently scheduled for Thursday 30 April and final stage interviews for Tuesday 2 June).

King’s is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Through this appointment, we aim to develop candidate pools reflecting applicants from all backgrounds and communities. We particularly encourage applications from women, people from Black and minority ethnic communities, the LGBTQ+ community and disabled people.

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