SPS academic awarded Senior Investigator status by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Professor Geraldine Macdonald

31 March 2025

Congratulations to Professor Geraldine Macdonald, Professor of Social Work in the School for Policy Studies, who has been appointed as a new NIHR Senior Investigator.

She joins Professor David Abbott from the School for Policy Studies who was appointed as a Senior Investigator in social care in 2024.

The University’s Professor Richard Martin, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, and Professor Alastair Hay, Professor of Primary Care, have also been appointed for second terms.

The NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and aims to improve health and wellbeing in the UK through research.

NIHR Senior Investigators are among the most prominent and prestigious researchers funded by the NIHR, recognised for their exceptional contributions to research and their influence in shaping the future of health and care.

They help guide research capacity development and enhance career paths for NIHR researchers.

Professor Macdonald said: “I’m really pleased to see the NIHR’s growing recognition of research in social work and social care. I look forward to using this award to further support the NIHR Academy’s investment in capacity building within the sector.”

The NIHR Academy plays a pivotal role in attracting, training and supporting talented health and care researchers to tackle the complex challenges facing the sector.

The NIHR works in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients and the public to fund, enable and deliver world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing, and promotes economic growth.

Full details of the 2025 NIHR Senior Investigator appointments are available here: Senior Investigators Cohort 18 | NIHR.

Further information

About the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. They do this by:

Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low- and middle-income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low- and middle-income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.

The NIHR is the research partner of the NHS, public health and social care.