Four Manchester BRC researchers receive prestigious national appointments
Four professors from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) have been appointed NIHR Senior Investigators, an award which recognises the most prominent and prestigious researchers in health and social care.
Senior Investigators are among the most outstanding and influential researchers funded by NIHR. They are recognised for the quality and global reach of their research. They also help mentor the next generation, strengthen research culture and embed inclusion.
Professor Sandra Bucci, who co-leads the Digital Programme in the NIHR Manchester BRC’s Mental Health Theme, is one of 43 new Senior Investigators appointed for 2026 across England.
Professor Bucci is the first ever NIHR Research Professor in Digital Mental Health in the UK and a Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Manchester (UoM).
She is an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) and co-Director of the Complex Trauma and Resilience Research Unit at GMMH.
Professor Bucci’s primary research interests are in developing digital care pathways and using digital remote monitoring and intervention methods to improve detection and treatment of severe mental health problems. She is also interested in understanding the psychological and social mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of severe mental health problems.
Hear more about Professor Bucci’s career journey in this Manchester BRC podcast for International Women’s Day 2025 and read about how she co-founded a spin-out company in this Innovator Insights blog.
Three Manchester BRC researchers are also among the 16 previous Senior Investigators who have been reappointed for a second term: Professor Maya H Buch, Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Catalyst Cluster Lead, Professor Paul Dark, Key Researcher in the Respiratory Medicine Theme and Professor Nusrat Husain, Key Researcher in the Mental Health Theme.
Professor Maya Buch is a Professor of Rheumatology at UoM and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
Her research focuses on clinical and translational methods to improve understanding and management of complex rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis and cardiovascular involvement across immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID).
Through Manchester BRC’s Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Catalyst Cluster and its Next Generation Therapeutics Theme, Professor Buch leads research programmes aiming to deliver more precise diagnoses and personalised care for patients with different diseases, while reducing health inequalities. Hear her discuss the work of the Cluster in more detail in this Spotlight On video.
Prof Buch is also Chief Investigator for the Medical Research Council (MRC) and British Heart Foundation UK CARDIO-IMID Partnership and Chair for the MRC-NIHR ‘Efficacy, Mechanism, Evaluation’ Programme.
Professor Paul Dark is a Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Vice Dean for Health and Care Partnerships and Research Professor at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute at UoM. He is also a Critical Care Consultant at Salford Royal Hospital, part of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.
As a researcher, Prof Dark has a particular interest in sepsis, novel diagnostics, the development of integrated pathways of care and improving global humanitarian responses.
Earlier this year, he co-authored a study which showed a simple blood test can tell doctors when it is safe to stop antibiotics in patients recovering from sepsis.
Prof Dark was NIHR Clinical Research Network’s National Deputy Medical Director (2022-24) and as a former NIHR National Specialty Lead for Critical Care (2015-22), he played a key role in the research response to the COVID-19 pandemic, advising the Department of Health and Social Care on urgent public health research into vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests.
Professor Nusrat Husain is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Global Mental Health Research at The University of Manchester. He is also Director of the Global Centre for Research on Mental Health Inequalities and an Honorary Consultant at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
He is at the forefront of applied research on culturally adapted psychosocial therapies and innovative pharmacological treatments for mental illness.
This includes co-leading the ROSHNI-2 study, one of the most extensive research trials ever conducted to investigate how effective psychological intervention is when providing postnatal support to mothers of South Asian ethnicity in the UK.
Speaking on the announcement, Professor Anne Barton, Director of the NIHR Manchester BRC said: “These are highly competitive awards, so I am absolutely delighted to see Sandra, Maya, Paul and Nusrat recognised with these prestigious NIHR Senior Investigator appointments. Their leadership and innovation continue to advance our understanding of complex health conditions and improve outcomes for patients. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and the impact they make across our region and beyond.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “By recognising leaders across the breadth of health and care, we are reinforcing NIHR’s commitment to supporting excellence wherever it is found and ensuring that research leadership mirrors the communities and professions it serves.
“Senior Investigators make a significant impact to the NIHR and the wider research landscape and I look forward to seeing the contributions and impact they make across health and care research.”
Researchers are awarded Senior Investigator status based on their contributions to the NIHR and their leadership of high-quality, internationally recognised research.
As outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research, NIHR Senior Investigators serve on NIHR funding committees and boards and provide leadership at a regional or national level. They serve as NIHR ambassadors, demonstrate research excellence, contribute to national growth, and champion the involvement of patients and communities into research.