The Academy of Medical Sciences has launched a new UK Medical Science Careers Taskforce which brings together senior leaders from academia, the NHS, MedTech and the pharmaceutical industry to identify and address gaps across clinical and non-clinical career pathways.
The taskforce comes at a critical moment. Rapid advances in AI, data science and novel therapeutics are transforming medical research, creating opportunities to improve patient outcomes and accelerate the UK's position as a global leader in life sciences. Realising these ambitions - set out in the Government's Life Sciences Sector Plan and 10-Year Health Plan for England - depends on having a workforce equipped to capitalise on them.
However, the UK's medical science workforce is under significant strain. Career pathways for data scientists, research technicians and professionals working across MedTech and pharma remain fragmented, with limited routes for movement between the NHS, academia and industry. Vacant clinical academic posts have risen by 71% in the last decade, with 24% fewer researchers at senior lecturer level. Almost a third of clinical research staff are considering leaving UK clinical research within five years.
Co-chaired by Fellows of the Academy, the taskforce will draw on evidence, stakeholder consultation and international comparisons to produce a national ‘gaps and fixes’ career pathways map and inform a fully endorsed cross-sector national plan by December 2026.
Rather than duplicating existing career frameworks, the taskforce will synthesise current evidence to identify gaps, misalignments and missed opportunities. It will examine career pathways across the full breadth of medical science – from clinical academics and biomedical researchers to data scientists, research technicians and professionals working in MedTech and the pharmaceutical industry.
The taskforce will pay particular attention to the boundaries between clinical and non-clinical roles, the barriers to cross-sector movement between the NHS, academia and industry, and the skills needed to engage with AI and data-driven technologies that are reshaping the field. It will also consider how place-based factors at local, regional and national level affect access to training and career development.
Dr Tony Wood FRS FMedSci, Chief Scientific Officer at GSK and co-chair of the taskforce, said: “We’re at a pivotal moment for medical science as cutting-edge technology and innovative science come together in new ways to transform the field. Capitalising on this requires modern medical science careers that foster the right skills and enable people to thrive while building rewarding careers that help us tackle the health challenges we face today and in the future. This taskforce is an important opportunity to work across academia, industry, and the NHS to support more people moving into both clinical and non-clinical research careers and explore how we build the way forward together.”
Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed FMedSci, NHS Chair of Pharmacogenetics at the University of Liverpool and co-chair of the taskforce, said: “Supporting the next generation of medical scientists is essential, especially as they will become the future leaders driving medical innovation at a time of extraordinary advances in cutting‑edge technologies. Yet current career pathways are far from ideal. If we are serious about realising our ambitions, we need a clear map of where the gaps lie and a plan for how to address them.”
Professor Andrew Morris CBE FRSE PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “Medical science is one of the UK’s greatest strengths. Our researchers have developed life-saving treatments, our clinical trials infrastructure played a defining role in the pandemic response and our life sciences sector is a genuine engine of economic growth across the country.
“Sustaining this position requires investment in the talented people who make it possible. The pipeline of clinical academics is under serious strain, career pathways between the NHS, academia and industry are fragmented, and without concerted action, the UK risks ceding ground to countries that are making workforce development a deliberate national priority.
“The Academy’s ambition is to make the UK the best place in the world to have a career in medical sciences, and this taskforce will provide the clarity and coordination that our life sciences sector needs. For the first time, we will have a detailed national map of where the gaps are, and a delivery plan backed by the organisations with the power to act on it.”
The Academy of Medical Sciences has a track record of bringing together diverse voices to drive systemic change in medical sciences. In September 2025, a landmark summit convened by the Academy secured commitments from 40 leaders across the UK health sector – including the Medical Research Council, Wellcome, Cancer Research UK, the Government’s Department for Health and Social Care and Russell Group universities – to take urgent action to reverse the decline in clinical academic posts.
Building on this momentum, the taskforce will engage a wide range of health system partners throughout the process, including research charities, government departments, trade associations, royal colleges, NHS representatives, regulators and pharmaceutical industry leaders.
Members of the taskforce include:
- Professor Wiebke Arlt FMedSci, Director of the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences
- Dr Ben Challis, VP and Head of Translational Science & Early Clinical Development, Early CVRM, AstraZeneca
- Professor Joan Condell, Professor of Intelligent Technologies, Ulster University
- Dr Miles Congreve, Chief Scientific Officer, Isomorphic Labs
- Mark Cubbon, Chief Executive, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak FMedSci, Regus Chair of Medicine, University of Glasgow
- Professor Muzlifah Haniffa FMedSci, Deputy Chief Executive and Institute Director, Wellcome Sanger Institute; Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Cambridge
- Dr Ruth McKernan CBE FMedSci, Operating Partner, SV Health Investors
- Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed FMedSci, NHS Chair of Pharmacogenetics at the University of Liverpool
- Roland Sinker CBE, University of Cambridge
- Professor Rosalind Smyth CBE FMedSci, Vice-President (Clinical) at the Academy of Medical Sciences and Professor of Child Health, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
- Dr Kelly Vere MBE, Director, UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy, University of Nottingham
- Dr Tony Wood FRS FMedSci, Chief Scientific Officer at GSK
An open consultation on key ‘gaps and fixes’ will open in spring 2026 and the Academy welcomes input from across the medical sciences community – including researcher, clinicians, data scientists, technologists, research technicians and professionals working across the NHS, academia and industry. Contact [email protected] to share views on where gaps exist, experiences of navigating career pathways, relevant evidence and ideas for practical solutions.