Meet Us

Claire Fenlon

Translational Portfolio Lead – Research Programmes and Infrastructure

Claire joined the University in 2011, supporting researchers within the College of Medicine and Health in the identification of novel intellectual property. She has subsequently managed the internal Medical Research Council Confidence in Concept and Proximity to Discovery funding schemes, the Cancer Research UK Birmingham Centre and now leads the Translational Research Team.

Claire has a MEng in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Birmingham’s College of Engineering & Physical Sciences and experience in the healthcare industry, working as a researcher for both growth consultancy and medical device companies.

Jane Gilmour

Programme Manager - Translational Research

Jane studied Experimental Pathology at the University of Glasgow prior to completing a PhD in the field of asthma and respiratory science at King’s College London. Jane joined the Translational Research Team (TRT) in 2019 following postdoctoral research roles in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds and London gaining experience in the fields of stem cell biology, gene regulation and genomics. In addition to general translational support, Jane also provides project management support for two MRC DPFS funded studies.

Manuela Carvalho-Gaspar

Programme Manager - Translational Research

Manuela completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Lisbon before completing her DPhil in Immunology at the University of Oxford. After working as a postdoctoral scientist in the areas of Transplantation and Cancer Immunology and Autoimmunity at the University of Oxford for several years and at UoB since 2013, Manuela decided to apply her knowledge and expertise to a different role and joined the Translational Research Team in 2019.

Angie Murray

Programme Manager - Birmingham Drug Discovery Hub

Angie completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of York, before completing a PhD in Biochemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Before beginning her current role, Angie was a postdoctoral researcher at UoB, working in the fields of microbiology, nanotechnology and environmental remediation. Angie’s current role is to support early-stage drug discovery research across the University and move it towards clinical use and patient benefit. In her spare time, she likes going to the gym and restoring vintage telephones.

Holly Western

Translational Project Manager

Holly joined the team as a Translational Project Manager at the end of 2022. Prior to this, she acquired 12 years research experience in synthetic organic chemistry and drug discovery in both academia and industry. Holly completed her MSci in Chemistry and PhD in Organic Synthesis here at the University of Birmingham.

Ann Smith

Project Officer - Translational Research