UK Young Academy appoints new Executive Group members 

The UK Young Academy is pleased to announce the appointment of seven members to its new Executive Group, following the completion of the Interim Executive Group’s term. The new representatives began their positions on 1 October for a two-year term. The new leadership group, elected by the membership from the membership, will continue to build the UK Young Academy in its early years, helping to shape and steer the direction of the UK Young Academy while supporting initiatives that address pressing societal challenges, both in the UK and beyond. 

The newly appointed Executive Group members are: 

Jahangir Alom – Emergency Medicine Doctor, Barts Health NHS Trust London

Sophie Meekings – Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow, University of York 

Denis Newman-Griffis – Lecturer in Data Science, University of Sheffield 

Linda Oyama – Lecturer in Microbiomics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and One Health, Queen’s University Belfast 

Ed Pyzer-Knapp – Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Xyme 

Sandeep Sandhu – Head of Stakeholder Relationships, Innovate UK Business Connect 

Amy Vincent – Newcastle University Academic Track Fellow (Mitochondrial Research), Newcastle University

Together, these members bring diverse knowledge and experience across sectors such as healthcare, technology, academia, and industry. They will guide the UK Young Academy as it establishes its business-as-usual activity, working to ensure the UK Young Academy’s 99 members can effectively contribute to key initiatives and engage in important discussions at local, national, and international levels. 

Since 2022, the UK Young Academy has provided a platform for early-career researchers, innovators, and professionals to connect, share knowledge, and develop solutions to critical issues facing society. Members are already leading work programmes in partnership with external organisations, aligning their efforts with the organisation’s strategic goals set out in our first year. 

As the new Executive Group takes up its leadership role, we are also pleased to welcome back Catarina Vicente, who has returned from leave to support the team for the remainder of her original term. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere appreciation to the members of the Interim Executive Group for their dedication and hard work over the past 18 months. Their leadership has been invaluable during the early years of the UK Young Academy, laying the groundwork for our initiatives and establishing a clear direction for our future.

For more information about the newly appointed Executive Group members (in alphabetical order): 

Jahangir Alom BEM, Emergency Medicine Doctor, Barts Health NHS Trust London

Jahangir Alom gained his primary medical qualification at the University of Southampton. He holds an MSc in Public Health from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he researched the experience of British Bangladeshis during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. He is a board member at the Institute of Public Policy Research, a Westminster think tank and a Governor at Stepney All Saint School, a non selective state school in East London. In his free time he has completed the London and Tokyo Marathon to raise funds for a global health charity, Selfless, where he is the Programme Director.

He was a recipient of an NHS Parliamentary Award (London) for his work on tackling vaccine inequality and was ranked in the top 100 influential healthcare leaders in 2022 by the Health Service Journal. In the New Years Honours 2024, Jahangir received a British Empire Medal for services to tackling health inequalities.

Sophie Meekings, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow, at University of York 

Sophie Meekings is a neuroscientist specialising in the understanding of speech production in both typical speakers and individuals with communication disabilities, such as stuttering. Her focus on voice studies is particularly unique given her profound deafness; however, Sophie believes that her lived experience with communication disability enhances her research. This perspective provides her with a deep personal understanding of the complexities of spoken communication and the challenges it presents for disabled individuals. 

Currently, Sophie is a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Postdoctoral Fellow, having previously received funding from the British Academy and the ESRC. In her spare time, she volunteers for a national outdoor education charity, where she teaches skills such as fire lighting, map reading, and spoon whittling. 

Denis Newman-Griffis, Lecturer in Data Science, University of Sheffield

Denis Newman-Griffis (they/them) is an interdisciplinary researcher and educator working at the intersection of responsible and ethical artificial intelligence (AI), health, and disability. Their work is breaking new ground in the principles, practices, and skills underpinning responsible data science and AI, combining technical and SHAPE approaches to learn how we can use AI effectively and ethically as part of healthcare and research. 

Denis is an international leader in AI and disability, and has developed significant innovations in natural language processing methods for analysing information about the lived experience of disability, as well as new critical approaches to examine ethical AI and data design through a disability lens. Denis’ work on AI and disability was recognised with the American Medical Informatics Association Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2021. They are also leading research projects on practical approaches to Responsible AI in organisations, working with non-academic partners across public and private sectors and civil society.

Denis is a Lecturer in Data Science at the University of Sheffield’s Information School and a Research Fellow of the Research on Research Institute, and a former Visiting Fellow of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. They hold a BA from Carleton College, a PhD from Ohio State University, and completed a National Library of Medicine postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Linda Oyama, Lecturer in Microbiomics, Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health, Queen’s University Belfast

Linda Oyama is a microbiologist and lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, with a First-class Microbiology degree and a PhD in Biological Sciences.

Linda’s research interests centre around understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microbiomes from a One Health perspective through surveillance and epidemiological studies using meta-omics approaches. She aims to tackle AMR through the discovery and development of novel treatment options for various clinical and veterinary multidrug resistant infections.

Linda is also a busy mother of three kind, beautiful, intelligent girls and a lover of all things nature and music.

Edward Pyzer-Knapp, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Xyme

Ed is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Xyme – a stealth-mode startup in the field of AI for Science. Previously he was Head of Research Innovation at IBM UK and Ireland, providing leadership on the convergence of HPC, AI and Quantum Computing to accelerate scientific discovery.

He is interested in the use of powerful emerging technologies to help to answer some of the biggest challenges of our time, especially through the lens of modelling and simulation. He obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge, and then moved to Harvard University, finally leaving to help start the IBM Research Lab in the UK in 2015. He holds a visiting Professorship at the University of Liverpool, and an honorary position at the University of Cambridge.Ed is also Editor in Chief of the Wiley journal Applied AI Letters, has authored more than 60 papers and conference proceedings, filed multiple patents, and has authored a textbook on the use of AI for physical science, published by Wiley in 2021.

Sandeep Sandhu, Head of Stakeholder Relationships, Innovate UK Business Connect 

Sandeep Sandhu is a research and innovation expert at Innovate UK Business Connect (IUK), where she leads the development of strategic and sustainable relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders. She has successfully forged high-level, impactful partnerships with governments, industry, and academia both in the UK and internationally. Previously, Sandeep directed and oversaw IUK’s international programmes, facilitating collaborations with key global economies. 

Before joining IUK, Sandeep served as a Senior International Policy Manager at UK Research and Innovation, where she focused on international strategy, transnational partnerships, European policy, and UKRI’s participation in the Global Research Council. She also held various roles at the Medical Research Council, managing the immunology portfolio, global health programmes (including the Newton Fund, Global Challenges Research Fund, and GACD), and serving as the National Contact Point for Health on Horizon 2020. 

Amy Vincent, Newcastle University Academic Track Fellow (Mitochondrial Research), Newcastle University

Amy Vincent is a Newcastle University Academic Track (NUAcT) Fellow at Newcastle University, working within the Mitochondrial Research Group and the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre. She completed her PhD in 2017 and was awarded a Henry Wellcome Fellowship in 2019, during which she became a principal investigator in the Mitochondrial Research group. She was appointed as a NUAcT fellow in 2023.

Mitochondria are the batteries of our cells, generating the energy necessary for cellular function. Amy’s research group focuses on understanding the causes and progression of a rare condition known as mitochondrial disease, as well as the impact of mitochondrial dysfunction on muscle cells. 

Public and patient engagement are incredibly important to Amy – she regularly participates in family days organised by the Lily Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy UK. Additionally, she is active on several committees dedicated to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, as well as career development for early-career researchers. Amy is a woman in STEM and a member of the LGBTQ+ community in STEM.