Brad is a Reader in Ageing Physiology and at the University of Westminster. His research interests focus on understanding losses in human muscle and metabolic function with ageing, with particular focus on the endocrine signatures of biological ageing. He Joined the Society in 2021, and from 2022-2026 lead on communications and outreach. In September 2026 he was elected Chair of the BSRA.
Board of Trustees
Our voluntary Board of Trustees meets at least four times a year, including our AGM which is held in person at our Annual Scientific Meeting. Members report on finance, strategy, communications, fundraising, scientific meetings and membership. Our academic Trustees either self-nominate or are nominated by members, and then elected by ballot at the charity’s AGM, but we currently also have an opening for a non-scientist and a clinician. Trustees are appointed for a minimum of three years, and have the option of free BSRA membership during their tenure.
Interested in becoming a trustee? Find out how here.
Dr Bradley Elliott (Chair)
Dr James Murray (secretary)
James is a Senior Lecturer in the Medical School at Swansea University. His
research focuses on the biological mechanisms of ageing and uses the African
Turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) as a model of organismal ageing. His
laboratory is characterising the natural neurodegeneration found in killifish as a
model for understanding how neurodegenerative diseases occur in people. James
has been a BSRA member since the beginning of 2024 and Honorary General
Secretary since September 2024.
Dr Laura Sinclair (Early Career Research Lead)
Laura is a Lecturer in Healthcare and Research Associate at the University of Exeter. Joining the Board of Trustees in 2026 as an early career researcher, she wants to improve the experiences of the BSRA’s junior academic members. Her research focuses on the molecular basis of ageing and how this intersects with obesity and sex differences. She has been a member of the BSRA since 2023 and was recipient of a BSRA Travel Award in 2025.
Dr Paul Potter (Treasurer)
Paul is a Reader in Biomedical Sciences at Oxford Brookes University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. His research focuses on the pathogenesis of chronic and age-related disease, and how to improve modelling of disease. He established and ran the MRC Harwell ageing screen and was a member of the management group of the MouseAGE COST action and the ShARM ageing biobank initiative.
Dr Jon Houseley (ASM Lead)
Jon is group leader and head of knowledge exchange and commercialisation at the Babraham Institute. His work studies the mechanisms by which cells adapt to new environments, and the connections between adaptation and ageing.
Prof Ghada Alsaleh
Ghada Alsaleh trained as a pharmacist before completing her MSc and PhD at the University of Strasbourg. She joined the University of Oxford in 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher and, in 2021, established her independent research group at the Botnar Research Centre with support from Arthritis UK.
Her research focuses on how autophagy regulates biological ageing and age-related diseases. More recently, she founded the UK’s first Space Innovation Lab, investigating how microgravity affects ageing to improve our understanding of human physiology and develop strategies to promote healthy ageing on Earth and during future space missions.
Dr Jonathan Lewis
Jonathan is an Early Career Post-Doctoral researcher in the Department of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on the hallmarks of ageing and their relationship to resilience in an ageing population. He has a particular interest in the ageing immune system and its relationship to bone homeostasis
Dr Diana Marcu
Diana is a scientist and consultant with a PhD in Molecular Genetics from
University of Glasgow, where she explored how ageing, the gut microbiome
and hormones interact to shape our health. In her consulting work, she’s
passionate about turning cutting-edge research into real-world solutions. In
her work with Kirkstall, Diana is committed to advancing preclinical
research by promoting the use of in vitro models to replace animal testing –
driving efficiency, reducing costs, and improving ethical standards. She
believes these technologies are key to unlocking personalized medicine
and delivering treatments that truly work for patients.
Prof David Weinkove
David is a Professor at Durham University. His research focuses on ageing in the nematode worm C. elegans. He discovered mutations in bacteria that slow C. elegans ageing by altering bacterial metabolism. He co-founded Magnitude Biosciences, which provides research services in C. elegans to companies across the world. A BSRA Trustee from 2014-2019, he was also Chair of the society from 2022 to 2026, and now acts in an Emeritus Chair and advisor role and also trustee for Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships.
Dr Charalampos (Babis) Rallis
Babis is a Reader in Genetics, Genomics and Fundamental Cell Biology and Director of Industrial Innovation at Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences.
His research focuses on gene and protein networks implicated in cellular fitness and metabolism with a focus on nutrient-responsive signalling pathways.