Cathleen O’GradyOn 29 June, Ottoline Leyser, a plant biologist from the University of Cambridge, started her new role as the director of the United Kingdom's main research funding agency, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
She is only the second director of the young agency; her predecessor, Mark Walport, oversaw the union of discipline-specific research councils into UKRI in 2018.Leyser steps into the job at a turbulent time.
The U.K. government has big plans for science, recently announcing plans for new infrastructure, immigration support, and an expanded budget.
But with the COVID-19 pandemic upending research careers, and Brexit challenging the internationality of U.K. science, there are challenges as well as opportunities.