People
Christabel Pankhurst Institute Executive Group
Professor Alejandro Frangi
Director
Professor Frangi is the Director of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute and the Bicentennial Turing Chair for Computational Medicine, with joint appointments in the Schools of Engineering and Health Sciences. He has a background in image computing, computational bioengineering and artificial intelligence.
Professor Frangi’s primary research interests lie at the crossroads of medical image analysis and modelling, machine learning (phenomenological models) and computational physiology (mechanistic models). He is particularly interested in statistical methods applied to population imaging phenotyping and in silico clinical trials. His highly interdisciplinary work has been translated into cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and neurosciences.
Professor Chris Taylor
Chair, Christabel Pankhurst Institute Board
Professor Taylor is University Associate Vice President for Digital Strategy and Business Engagement. He has a background in artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and medical image analysis. His research has led to international recognition and multiple spin-outs from the University.
Anthony Wilson
Deputy Director, Christabel Pankhurst Institute Board
Dr Anthony Wilson is a consultant of anaesthesia and critical care medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). He is the Chief Medical Information Officer (Research and Innovation) at MFT where he champions the use of health data and the adoption of innovative technology to improve patient care and outcomes. His personal research interests focus on the use of wearable vital signs sensors in hospitals and he is the co-lead of MFT’s wearables laboratory.
Ian Hall
Deputy Director, Christabel Pankhurst Institute Board
Ian Hall is a Professor of Mathematical Epidemiology and Statistics at the University of Manchester. With a PhD in vortex dynamics from the University of Exeter, he spent 15 years at Public Health England (now UKHSA), leading modelling efforts for outbreak preparedness, including smallpox and pandemic influenza. He is a member of the Department of Health’s SPI-M group and served as academic chair of the SAGE Social Care subgroup during the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded an OBE in June 2024 for his contributions to public health and epidemiology, his research focuses on disease impacts in vulnerable settings, operational planning, and real-time outbreak modelling. He now brings this expertise to the Christabel Pankhurst Institute, supporting the translation of digital health tools across disciplines.
Julia Handl
Deputy Director, Christabel Pankhurst Institute Board
Julia is a Professor of Decision Sciences in Alliance Manchester Business School. A Computer Scientist by training, she has worked extensively across disciplines, with previous positions in Manchester’s MIB, Manchester’s Faculty of Life Sciences and the University of Washington’s Department of Biochemistry. She is a member of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and sits on the management board of the new Manchester-Cambridge AI CDT for Decision Making in Complex Systems, as well as Manchester’s Institute for Data Science and AI. Within the Pankhurst Institute, Julia will help to deliver the Institute’s ambitions around partnerships, translation & interdisciplinarity, and help foster a vibrant, welcoming environment and sense of identity within the Institute.
Sophia Ananiadou
Deputy Director, Christabel Pankhurst Institute Board
Sophia Ananiadou is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on Natural Language Processing and Large Language Models for biomedical and clinical applications. Key areas include LLM-based information extraction, summarisation, emotion detection, and interpretability; applications include semantic search, systematic reviews, pathway reconstruction, mental-health prediction, misinformation detection, and risk assessment.
Professor Sami Kaski
Research Director and AI Lead
Professor Kaski is Professor of Artificial Intelligence at The University of Manchester and Aalto University, Director of the Finnish Centre for Artificial Intelligence FCAI. He is an international expert in foundations of AI, with strong interests in applications in health and care.
Professor Julie Gough
Advanced Materials Co-Lead
Professor Gough is Professor of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at The University of Manchester. Her research interests are in tissue engineering of mechanically sensitive connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle and the intervertebral disc, and nerve repair.
Dr Stephen Richardson
Advanced Materials Co-Lead
Dr Stephen Richardson is Senior Lecturer in Cell and Tissue Engineering at The University of Manchester.
His research focuses on use of multi-omic approaches to characterise cartilaginous cells/tissues (primarily intervertebral disc and meniscus) during development and disease, and application of 3D bioprinting to generate biomimetic tissue analogues to study tissue formation and test stem cell-based regenerative therapies.
Dr Robert Meckin
Responsible and Inclusive Research Lead
Dr Robert Meckin is a Presidential Fellow in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Manchester. Robert’s research focuses on the social dimensions of knowledge production and responsible innovation, particularly in interdisciplinary spaces of biotechnology, health, and social science.
Dr Sabine Van Der Veer
Digital Health Inequality Lead
Dr Sabine van der Veer is a Senior Lecturer in Health Informatics at the University of Manchester. Her research is about the use of digital technology to collect patient-generated health data for improving health and care for people with long-term conditions, with a particular focus on how this impacts on health equity.
Chris Hepworth
Business Engagement Lead
Chris is the Business Engagement Lead for the Pankhurst Institute and has over 10 years’ experience of working in universities in relationship management roles. He provides leadership and direction for the Pankhurst Institute’s Business Engagement and Innovation Strategy, focussed on building mutually beneficial relationships between the Institute and Industry partners.
Dr Claudia Lindner
Translation Lead
Dr Lindner is a Sir Henry Dale Fellow and Senior Research Fellow in Translational Medical Imaging at The University of Manchester. Her research interests are in the automated analysis of medical images to study, diagnose and manage musculoskeletal disorders – using methods from computer vision, machine learning and data science.
Zoë Rainey
Financial Management
Zoë is the Head of Finance for Faculty Office within the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and is the finance lead for the Christabel Pankhurst Institute. Zoë has numerous years of financial and management experience in the UK and Internationally, within Higher Education and the private sector.
Videha Sharma
Early Career Researcher (ECR) Lead
Videha is a surgeon and lecturer in Health Informatics. He has held the Topol Digital Health Fellowship, the National Medical Director’s Fellowship and is an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur. Leading a diverse portfolio of projects, Videha aims to improve patient care by bridging the gap between new and emerging technologies and clinical practice.
Ian Evans
Research Strategy, FSE
Ian is a Research Development Manager for AI within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Before his current role, Ian worked extensively in health research most recently leading the national pharmacovigilance project assessing the safety of new treatments for psoriasis (BADBIR).
Previously Ian has also worked on industry collaborations, serving as Project Manager for the University’s partnership with Walgreens Boots Alliance. Ian currently works directly with Pankhurst’s Research Director Sami Kaski in the Centre for AI Fundamentals and will help to develop this theme further.
Lauren Tempelman
Research Strategy, FBMH
Lauren is a Research Development Manager supporting researchers with funding applications and research initiatives. She gained a PhD in neuroscience from The University of Manchester before working as a postdoc in biomaterials.
Lauren has supported research impact in FBMH and at university level. She is now the main contact for Health Sciences, manages our relationship with NIHR and leads on support for Innovation UK bids.
Dr Chloe Jeffries
Research Strategy, Humanities
Chloe is Head of Strategic Funding for the Faculty of Humanities. In this role, she oversees research funding and impact across the social sciences. Prior to working in research development, Chloe held a number of research and teaching positions. She has worked in the UK and in Europe, in universities, research institutes and policy-oriented organisations (including Nesta).
Priyanshu Chhetri
Digital Futures Health & Care Lead
Priyanshu is a Communications and Engagement Coordinator for Digital Futures at The University of Manchester. Priyanshu provides support for regional engagement and communication activities, including the delivery of the Greater Manchester Connected Health Ecosystem.
Dr Alex Casson
Bioelectronics
Dr Alex Casson is a reader in the Materials, Devices and Systems division of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester.
He is an expert in non-invasive bioelectronic interfaces, designing wearable and skin-conformal sensors for human body monitoring in naturalistic situations. His research focuses on closed loop systems for remote monitoring and digital therapeutics, with a strong background in brain and heart monitoring, and physical health and rehabilitation. Dr Casson holds cross-disciplinary appointments and is a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute.
