Autumn is a time of change at the BSRA. Bringing new people onto our board is an important part of good charity governance, ensuring fresh ideas, new energy and a broader range of perspectives as our organisation continues to grow.
We’re delighted to welcome five new trustees who will strengthen our board and help shape the next chapter of the BSRA.
Ghada Alsaleh will lead the coordination of our Academic Seminar Series and is already working on the 2027 programme. She will also represent the trustees on our Scientific Advisory Board.
Nik Rattray joins us as the lead for our 2028 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM). He will work alongside this year’s ASM coordinator, Jon Houseley, before hosting our first-ever ASM in Scotland. Nik also brings extensive experience of working with other scientific societies.
Merlin Davies takes on the newly created remit of Scientific Outreach. He will focus on developing our membership and building partnerships with institutions across the UK and with industry.
We’ve also appointed two trustees from outside academia, broadening the expertise and experience represented on our board.
Ian Sawyer is a semi-retired business consultant and trustee of the Sutton Coldfield u3a group, with a longstanding interest in the biology of ageing. He will help us shape and grow our public engagement activities.
Stephen Morgan is an experienced communications specialist whose career spans the research, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. His expertise in strategic communications comes at an important time as we look to continue building our different audiences.
We’re looking forward to working with all five new trustees and introducing them to BSRA members and the wider public over the coming months.
But change also means saying goodbye to trustees who have given so much to the Society. We’d like to thank Paul Morgan, Ira Milosevic and Sophie Joanisse for their time, commitment and contributions to the BSRA. Their work has helped us grow as an organisation, deliver high-quality events for our members and expand our research grant programme.
We’re very grateful for everything they have contributed and wish them all the best for the future.