Message from Professor Gavin Screaton, Head of Division
I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Professor Matthew Wood as he steps down from his role as Associate Head (Innovation). Matthew has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the Division's innovation and translational research agenda. Having previously served as Associate Head (Research), and more recently as Associate Head (Innovation), we have benefited from Matthew's leadership over the last 12 years.
Matthew is a role model for academic entrepreneurship, founding five successful spinout companies and has exemplifying what is possible when cutting-edge research is translated into real-world applications. His ability to coordinate and lead major translational research programmes has had a transformative effect, both within Oxford and beyond. Matthew has also played a vital ambassadorial role in promoting and strengthening Oxford’s innovation ecosystem. His longstanding support of the Business Partnership Office, pivotal role in conceiving and launching the Translational Research Office and its translational funding schemes, and in establishing the BioEscalator, leaves a legacy that will benefit researchers and innovators for years to come.
While he is stepping down from his formal leadership role within the Division on 30 June 2025, we are pleased that Matthew will continue to contribute to Oxford’s innovation landscape through his ongoing leadership as the Chair of the BioEscalator Management Board and as a Director on OUI Board.
I would like to thank Professor Helen Christian who has let me know that she will step down as Associate Head (Education) at the end of this academic year. Helen has brought her considerable educational expertise, experience and depth of understanding to bear across the full spectrum of the Division’s educational portfolio. Her leadership and insights have had a major impact on divisional policy development and activity, and she has been an effective champion of divisional educational interests at University level through her membership of senior University committees including Education Committee, the Pro-VC for Education’s Advisory Group, Joint Fees and Student Support Advisory Group, and Joint Student Number Planning Sub-Committee.
The University and the Division have benefited from her commitment and expertise across areas including undergraduate and graduate access and participation, student mental health, assessment (she has served as academic lead and Chair of the oversight board for the University’s Assessment Centre of Excellence), curriculum development for Medicine, and fitness to study. Her leadership on digital education has been and continues to be exemplary, including as Deputy Chair of the Education IT Portfolio Committee, and as a member of the Digital Education Technology Strategy Group. She has championed engagement with digital education across the division, ensuring MSD remains at the forefront of developments in this area.
I would also like to thank Professor Karla Miller who has indicated her intention to step down towards the end of her term as Associate Head (EDI) following her appointment as Director of the Oxford Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging.
Prof Miller has been a huge positive influence on the cultural development of the Division, acting as a vocal representative for MSD in various divisional and institutional committees, including the Joint Collegiate Committee for EDI. She has been featured in the institutional EDI roundtable several times, and has led on several strategic projects, including the Inclusive Leadership programme, the MSD Mediation Service, and developing an institutional EDI induction training alongside the Chief Diversity Officer Prof Tim Soutphommasane. We thank her for her valued contributions to this important work of the Division and her commitment to supporting her successor for a smooth transition.
Finally, I am pleased to announce that Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg will be taking up an expanded portfolio for the Division as Associate Head (Research and Innovation) from 1 July 2025. She takes up this role alongside her appointment as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives, announced in the Gazette.