The UK has world-leading expertise in the biology of ageing. But where is the best place in the UK for ageing research? The British Society for Research on Ageing is often asked this question. but it is hard to answer. One way to quantify activity in ageing research across the country is through the BSRA membership data.
56 UK institutions have at least one BSRA member. When institutions are ranked by number of members, the University of Birmingham and University College London, come joint first closely followed by Aston University and University of Oxford in joint third place. Imperial College London is 5th, and Kings College London, University of Liverpool and University of Westminster share joint 6th place*.
The University of Birmingham has a wide spectrum of researchers working on the biology of ageing. They include members of the Department of Inflammation and Ageing such as BSRA Lord Cohen medal winner Prof Janet Lord, and many other researchers and clinicians. Department faculty member and BSRA Trustee Dr Niharika Duggal said “We were proud to host the BSRA’s 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting in 2024 when we welcomed researchers from across the country and showcased the excellent research on ageing at the University of Birmingham”.
University College London has a rich history in the biology of ageing starting with great thinkers from the 1920s to 1960s like Fisher, Haldane, Maynard Smith and Medawar. It established the Institute for Healthy Ageing in 2004, founded by Dame Linda Partridge and Prof David Gems. Current Director Prof Jürg Bähler said “We are proud to be top of this table. We continue to work on the biology of ageing and diseases of ageing using various models and have several active members of the BSRA”
David Weinkove, Chair of the BSRA, and Professor at Durham University said “Congratulations to University of Birmingham and UCL. The BSRA has members across 56 UK institutions doing excellent research. For researchers from institutions that feel they are under-represented by this table, I would ask them to encourage more of their colleagues to join the BSRA and get involved with our Vision to increase the research on ageing and help it be turned into real world outcomes, keeping people healthy for longer”
Full data here
