NIHR research themes at Sheffield

Sheffield supports clinical academic trainees undertaking research in the following NIHR priority areas:

On

NIHR allocates posts via a competitive bidding process. 50% are awarded for local priority areas of research and 50% are within NIHR-designated themes.

Digital

ACFs/CLs can undertake research using digital health data (sensor-based, wearable, and smartphone), digitally enabled platforms, and linked digital data.

Sheffield is uniquely suited to support clinical academic trainees in Digital Health research. We offer unparalleled access to:

We have strong collaborations with Google, GE Healthcare, Canon Medical, Endotronix and other industrial partners.

  • Exceptional track record: supporting academic trainees to Digital Health research fellowships including PhD fellowships from MRC, NIHR, British Heart Foundation and Wellcome, and intermediate and senior fellowships from MRC, Wellcome and British Heart Foundation. 
  • A focus on priorities: we will train clinical academics able to drive the government's three shifts: Hospital to Home, Analogue to Digital, and Disease to Prevention.
  • Digital Health Training: the £4m South Yorkshire EPSRC/UKRI Digital Health Hub was established to provide skills and training in digital health innovation that trainees can access, including in PPIE, medical device regulation, data science, and leadership skills.

We are pioneering innovative and interdisciplinary research approaches by:

  • Developing novel data collection methods. Trainees will develop new sensor-based technologies for capturing clinically relevant data currently unavailable to clinicians.
  • Extracting valuable insights from existing digital health data. Trainees will explore and utilize clinically relevant data obtainable from widespread digital technologies, including wearables and smartphones.
  • Facilitating efficient and ethical data acquisition. Trainees will acquire data from consented patient cohorts using fully remote, digitally enabled platforms, ensuring ethical and efficient clinical studies.
  • Harnessing the power of linked data. Trainees will link these diverse datasets with routinely collected NHS and other relevant health data within a secure research environment.
  • Applying advanced analytical techniques. Trainees will employ sophisticated statistical and machine learning approaches to analyze these integrated datasets, identifying novel insights for improving disease prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and monitoring. This includes Digital Twin approaches as in the £8m EPSRC CVD-NET Programme Grant.  

Prevention and Public Health

ACFs can undertake research in public health research themes such as 

  • alcohol, tobacco and gambling policy
  • evidence synthesis
  • health equity and inclusion
  • health economics and decision science

They can also undertake cross-faculty research, such as maternity inequalities or respiratory infections.

The Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) is a leading centre for public health research, rated 6th for impact in REF2021. SCHARR leads in evidence synthesis, addressing policymakers’ priorities via NIHR Public Health Research Review Team and the NIHR Health Services & Delivery Evidence Synthesis Centre. SCHARR delivers high-quality health technology appraisals and evidence reviews for NICE, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency. Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), an international centre of excellence for public health research on alcohol, tobacco and gambling, focuses on policy-relevant research that informs evidence-based interventions. SCHARR contributes to national, regional and local research and evaluation programmes including the School for Public Health Research (SPHR), Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team (PHIRST Fusion) and City of Doncaster Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC). 

SCHARR leads in modelling complex behaviours and health economic evaluations, such as the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model, which has influenced national guidelines and policies. We aim to increase the implementation of research evidence into clinical practice, local government commissioning, and public health policy. Policy and practice impacts are demonstrated through our work with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority producing evidence-based recommendations to tackle inequalities and improve health.

Cross-faculty collaboration involving the Clinical Infection Research Group provides opportunities to undertake research into infectious disease epidemiology. UoS has joined the NIHR Challenge Maternity Disparities Consortium, which aims to ensure measurable improvements in care and outcomes before, during and after pregnancy and to support the next generation of research leaders in maternal health and care.

Potential projects for trainees include: Maternity inequalities, focusing on participatory research and wider determinants of health; Infection, characterising the risk of respiratory viruses in clinically vulnerable/immunocompromised patients; Alcohol research, investigating public health implications of the increased availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks.

Clinical therapeutics, pharmacology and industry

ACFs/CLs can undertake research embedded in the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) with themes of Translational Neuroscience, Cardiovascular Disease, Infection & Immunity, and Imaging & Engineering.

The NIHR Sheffield BRC is uniquely placed to support clinical academic trainees undertaking research in this theme. The BRC leveraged £63.4M funding in 2023/24, including £18M from industry collaborations/partnerships.  ACFs/CLs will join the BRC Training Academy and receive mentorship, bespoke workshops, presentations, PPIE training, and an annual presentation day.

Translational Neuroscience represents a world-leading centre for neurodegeneration and neuroinflammatory disorders, leading the UK in developing advanced therapies for patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Multiple Sclerosis. It offers an extensive portfolio of experimental clinical trials for patients with chronic neurological disorders. The MRC/LifeArc Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre accelerates the development of gene therapy programmes by partnering with industry. Projects for trainees are available across our disease areas including experimental route to success in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (EXPERTS-ALS), using AI to diagnose MND earlier in primary care (MND Alert ), Cognospeak, and developing a system for delivering highly specialised care away from special centres near people homes (MND Together).

Cardiovascular Disease: The broad translational platform focuses on our key areas of world-leading expertise and large patient cohorts: coronary artery disease and stroke (high regional burden of morbidity/mortality); and pulmonary arterial hypertension (largest UK regional service, serving 25% of UK patients). Trainees will be able to join projects encompassing translational research in therapeutics for atherothrombosis, pulmonary vascular disease, and stroke, and pharmacological research in inflammation and thrombosis underpinning translational work in these areas. Trainees will benefit from a strong track record of working with industry leading to successful development of cardiovascular drugs.

Infection & Immunity capitalises on the rich interdisciplinary environment within the Florey Institute of Infection bringing together laboratory-scientists, public health experts, infectious disease modellers, and clinicians to bridge the translational gap. Trainees will be able to join projects including:

  • Immune Memory and Mechanisms of Protection from Vaccines Consortium  (UKRI, £550K to UoS, 2024–2029).
  • Projects: how priming exposure affects long term phenotype and durability of antiviral immunity  how immunodeficiency impacts the antiviral immune response at a single cell level.
  • SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immunity in Zimbabweans with HIV and other comorbidities (Gates,£1.1M to UoS, 2023–2027).
  • Projects: how chronic comorbidities shape the non-neutralising effector antibody response to infections. 
  • Early-phase malaria vaccine trials with a focus on innate immunology, assessing novel vaccine constructs and adjuvant formulations in collaboration with the University of Oxford.
  • Development and characterisation of immune assays (using our cohorts) with GSK,  for use in phase I and II vaccine trials for Group A streptococcus.

Imaging and Engineering for Health drives state-of-the-art, technology-led research to support healthcare research. Sheffield’s unique hyperpolarised MRI methods POLARIS (Pulmonary, Lung and Respiratory Imaging Sheffield) provide unique tools for the assessment of novel pharmaceutical therapies. 

Suitable projects for trainees provide the opportunity to with industry partners such as:

  • Novartis in a randomised crossover study of Indacaterol/Glycopyrronium.
  • Boehringer-Ingelheim to track disease progression in patients with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis treated with Nintedanib and Pirfenidone.
  • AstraZeneca in the world’s largest observational imaging study with hyperpolarised lung imaging in COPD/Asthma aligned with the NOVELTY study.
  • The GSK Summer study to evaluate effects of mepolizumab to reduce exacerbations of people with COPD and asthmatic inflammation.

Multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs)

ACFs/CLs can undertake cross-disciplinary research exploring disease interactions, prognostic models, and tailored care to optimise both objective and patient-centred outcomes.

South Yorkshire has rates of socioeconomic deprivation that are almost double the UK average and increase the risk of early onset MLTCs. The Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) promotes multidisciplinary research and develops policies, services and products for the prevention of MLTC. There are research themes on molecular pathophysiology of ageing and frailty and its interaction with MLTC, pharmacological interventions to target ageing and ageing-related illnesses, complex epidemiology and modelling to explore risk factors and treatment algorithms, public policy and applied health research and psychology. HELSI hosts over 180 researchers across 30 departments and has >70 early career researchers.

Interdisciplinary collaborations between surgical oncology, medical oncology, primary care, infectious diseases, renal medicine, psychiatry, and data, social and laboratory scientists have led to NIHR advanced fellowships.   Our interconnected research groups (HELSI, SCHARR and BRC) offer peer support groups, senior fellowship programmes, mentorship and international seminars. Our supervisory team holds national MLTC leadership roles.

Trainees can undertake interdisciplinary research projects in MLTC aligned with the NIHR MLTC research priorities. Projects are pioneering new medical treatments, health and social care policies, and guidance across the lifespan to help people have healthier, more independent, longer lives. 

Specific areas include:

  • Psycho-oncology of ageing and MLTC 
  • Ageing and MLTC impact on cancer outcomes and treatment resilience using large complex datasets and AI
  • Molecular biology of ageing and frailty 
  • Novel biomarkers of frailty and senescence including collaborative work with the US and Glasgow
  • Senotherapeutics
  • Bone cardiometabolic MLTC
  • Interaction of mental illness and substance abuse and MLTC.

Methodological expertise includes: 

  • mixed methods
  • clinical trials
  • patient experience
  • quality-of-life measures
  • data modelling
  • machine learning
  • in-vitro and in-vivo laboratory models including cutting-edge multi-omics facilities
  • senescence, senotherapeutics and ageing/frailty research
  • participatory research/co-design including disadvantaged populations with complex MLTCs

Novel approaches include:

  • Development of patient-rated-measures to address MLTC outcomes
  • Multi-omics to studying senescence in ageing and frailty 
  • Machine learning and statistics 
  • Inclusive research in high-risk populations for MLTCs: The Deep End NIHR research cluster involving nine of the most deprived practices in Sheffield.
  • An NIHR-funded community researcher training programme with our community partner SACMHA to involve ethnic minority populations.

Dementia and neurodegenerative disease

ACFs can undertake groundbreaking cross-disciplinary research into dementia and neurodegenerative conditions aimed at taking new therapeutic targets from bench to bedside. Neurodegenerative disease is included alongside dementia, in accordance with the IAT theme linked information. 

The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) is a world-leading neurodegenerative research centre that includes over 300 research scientists from the whole breadth of neurodegeneration research. SITraN is closely aligned with the Sheffield BRC, has representation in the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration (Dementia TRC) and co-leads the UK MND Research Institute (UK MNDRI). 

SITraN neurodegeneration teams include five clinician-scientists at Professorial level (Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Neuroimaging and MND, including one NIHR research professor, a former Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow, and two NIHR Senior Investigators), four Senior Clinical Lecturers (Dementia, and MND), two Clinical lecturers (Dementia and Parkinson’s disease) and eight clinical fellows (Dementia, Parkinson’s disease and MND). We have shown consistent progression and support to clinical scientists from the start of their career to maintaining the highest research accolades in neurodegeneration. We host one of only eight PET-MRI facilities in the country and work closely with our over 100 clinical neurosciences consultants based at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. 

SITraN research successes in the last five years include over £50 million of research grants and multiple REF impact cases. Our close collaboration with the Sheffield BRC and cross-faculty Sheffield Neuroscience Institute offers a huge number of research training opportunities for the full breadth of dementia and neurodegeneration research. 

SITraN and the Sheffield BRC support one of three national centres that will expand early-phase clinical trials in dementia syndromes as part of the Dementia TRC. Our dementia research has focused on increasing inclusivity and recruitment expansion through the CognoSpeak project. The clinical research teams, working together with expert clinical scientists at SITraN and the Sheffield BRC, have pioneered the development of novel therapeutic targets for Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and MND. 

Trainee clinician-scientists will undertake projects, including: 

  • the clinical application of automated cognitive assessment using CognoSpeak in post-stroke cognitive impairment
  • development of dynamic PET-MRI protocols to aid in the early diagnosis of dementia/Parkinson’s disease
  • biofluid and genetic biomarker discovery
  • drug repurposing and early-phase clinical trial delivery in neurodegenerative diseases

We have developed interdisciplinary links with general practice researchers in dementia supporting both GP-based dementia posts at ACF and CL levels. The Academic Unit of Primary Medical Care focuses on applied research that supports families and carers in decisions needed during the course of the dementia illness.

Clinical education research

ACFs can undertake Clinical Education Research (CER) to improve the quality of healthcare by enhancing the education of health professionals through novel, effective approaches. Trainees within CER are potentially well-positioned for senior strategic leadership roles within any area of medical or healthcare training and education. 

The CER Team is part of the Division of Clinical Medicine in the Faculty of Health.  The team has four professors of CER, including professors of Medical Education and Primary Care Education, alongside colleagues from multi-disciplinary backgrounds. We have an excellent track record of research supervision from BSc to PhDs and beyond, including a current NIHR ACF in Palliative Care Education and a recently appointed fellow in Trauma and Orthopaedics. 

The team attracts PhD candidates and collaborators from across the faculty and internationally, offering an inclusive and interdisciplinary work environment. Recent successes include clinical lecturer and government (Saudi Education Commission) appointments, and our current Speech and Language Therapy PhD candidate in CER is Co-Investigator on an NIHR research for a Patient Benefit grant. Our publications show how our research agenda aligns with national priorities.

Areas of expertise include digital education (including virtual reality), development and validation of research tools, assessment, professionalism and curriculum development. Our simulation centre was recently upgraded with an award of £212,450.  The trainee will have access to all aspects of methodological expertise (including realist evaluations and educational randomised controlled trials), PGCert (MedEd) training, a bespoke staff development programme, and flagship institutes within the University, including the methods institute.

Our current activities fit within two themes responsive to national priorities (NHS Longterm Workforce Plan; NHS People Promise): (

  1. Developing and evaluating educational interventions to promote trainee wellbeing
  2. Inclusive education through technology and innovation

The ACFs will be able to contribute to the wider research agenda while having the flexibility to develop their own academic interests. Examples include

  • the interdisciplinary, evidenced ECHO project within palliative care
  • improving the consistency of multidisciplinary teams’ practice in managing mechanical ventilation in intensive care by developing a technology-based teaching package
  • addressing imposter phenomenon through effective interventions
  • integration of entrustable professional activities within primary care education. 

Mental health

ACFs can undertake research to improve the experiences and outcomes of care for people with serious mental illness.

ACF posts will be based in the Mental Health Research Unit (MHRU) in the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), a world-leading centre of health services and public health research. We have strong University collaborations with colleagues across SCHARR, particularly with the Academic Unit of Primary Care, and in the School of Health Sciences (Nursing & Midwifery), Psychology and the University’s Healthy Lifespan Institute. 

Current major projects include leading a UKRI Complex Emotions Hub and co-leading a programme of mental health research through the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber. 

We have a strong partnership with our main NHS partner, Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust (SHSC). Trainees will have the opportunity to gain experience of working with senior clinicians, managers, commissioners and people with lived experience of mental illness, as well as clinical academics. We have appointed both trainee psychiatrists and general practitioners to mental health-themed posts. 

Researchers in the MHRU collaborate with colleagues across academic disciplines, including digital and data science mental health research (using  CUREd+ and other data resources).  We have close links with Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, (YHARC), NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR), Bradford Institute for Health Research (BHRI), Creative Minds and many other organisations. We are a member of the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC). 

Research in the MHRU focuses on addressing the needs of people with lived experience of mental illness and mental health service use, and on addressing the current needs of the NHS. Our research is designed to reduce mental health inequalities and to involve people and groups that are often excluded from research.  Other research includes studies addressing the mental health workforce needs of the NHS, health economic modelling of the long-term effects of school-based mental health interventions, and research to prevent suicide through interventions in primary care.  We are also leading on the evaluation of the implementation of the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework in Sheffield. 

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