Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)

Professor Mary Ryan CBE, FREng, FIMMM, FICorr, FCGI is Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)

Research Strategy

Read how the College will solve today's global challenges through enduring excellence in research

Institutional Letters of Support

Institutional letters of support signed by the Vice-Provost may be requested for research proposal applications. Read about the process

Contact Information

Executive Assistant: Emma Neave

Executive Officer: Emily Roche

Operations and Projects Officer: Andreea Gavrilă

The Good Science Project

Mary is responsible for developing and providing leadership to the delivery of the College’s research and enterprise strategy, and for enhancing the quality, impact, management and delivery of research in the College. Mary is Professor of Materials Science and Nanotechnology and holds the Armourers & Brasiers’ Chair in Materials Science in the Department of Materials.

Mary is a member of the University Management Board. She is responsible for developing and delivering the College’s research and enterprise strategy across all the faculties (Engineering, Natural Sciences, Medicine and the Business School). Imperial’s total annual research budget is £475 million, we engage with 500+ corporate partners and have 130 active start-ups. Our overarching aim is to achieve enduring excellence in research and enterprise for the benefit of society and we have the greatest concentration of high-impact research of any major UK university (according to REF 2014). Mary’s role is to enhance the quality, impact, management and delivery of research and the main areas of focus include: nurturing research talent, sustaining world-class core academic disciplines, fostering multidisciplinary research, establishing effective partnerships and ensuring our research informs, influences and delivers impact. To enable this, we need to have world-class research facilities and infrastructure, a vibrant and healthy research environment and adequate research funding. In terms of translation Mary’s focus includes developing our entrepreneurial and partnerships eco-system via our corporate partnerships, technology transfer and spinouts, and technology foresight.

Our Research Culture

Imperial supports and nurtures a research environment that is defined by a culture of integrity, good governance and best practice. Our commitment to excellence underpins everything we do, but this is only possible through ensuring a positive and inclusive research culture is fully embedded in policies, practices and initiatives across the entire College. To help embed a positive research culture within Imperial, we have provided our staff with a Research Culture Toolkit to help them implement change both as part of their grant applications and within their own research environment.

Learn more and view our Research Culture Toolkit

REF

Imperial has a greater proportion of world-leading research than any other UK university, according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Imperial is a place where innovation, creativity and collaboration co-exist and thrive. Our researchers tackle the biggest challenges like climate change, future energy supplies, antibiotic resistance and national security, and they know the importance of making the most of their breakthroughs to deliver new technologies across the globe, creating a better, more sustainable and healthier future.

Learn more about our REF 2021 results

Research Impact

Our research is making a difference around the world. Discover examples of how Imperial research has already translated into benefits for people, business and industry, and the natural world.

Read case studies from across our four faculties.

Research Funding

Year after year the College wins significant grant funding from a range of funders, which signifies the importance of the research our community produces. Read our Biannual Reports of Research Funding Trends to reflect on how the College is performing with grant funding (Imperial staff only).

Learn more

Funding Opportunities

Explore the wide range of internally funded schemes open to Imperial researchers and understand Imperial's process for handling external funding calls where applications per institution are limited in number or when an institutional statement of support for external funding calls is required.

Internal funding opportunities include Imperial's prestigious Research Fellowships, the President's PhD Scholarships, the President's Excellence Fund for Frontier Research and the Impact Acceleration Accounts.

To find out more visit the Funding Opportunities webpage

Enterprise

Our Enterprise Division bring businesses, researchers and students together to inspire and empower one another. For businesses, the Enterprise team facilitates access to a world-leading academic community fizzing with inspirational talent and cutting-edge technology. For students and staff, it offers the chance to realise the full potential of their research by connecting them with some of the world’s most exciting organisations channelling their ideas into real products and services that can change industries and change lives.

Discover more about our Enterprise Division.

Chief Scientific Advisers Lecture Series

Solutions to the global societal challenges we all face – climate change, the impact of Artificial Intelligence, and ageing populations – all require extensive science and engineering research. Yet there are challenges pulling through academic expertise into the hands of the decision-makers in national governments. Only through open dialogue and improved collaboration between academia and government can we ensure that the best evidence supports decisions affecting us all. The Imperial Policy Forum runs a Science and Policymaking series hosted by Professor Mary Ryan, bringing government Chief Scientific Advisors (CSAs) to Imperial College. Imperial staff and students hear first-hand the challenges and opportunities for scientists working in government and how their research can be used to evidence policymaking across a wide range of topics.

Past events include:

Dr Mike Short, CSA at the Department for International Trade
Professor Dame Angela McLean, (then) CSA at the Ministry of Defence

Find out about upcoming CSA events and other events hosted by the Imperial Policy Forum

Vice-Provost's Community Messages and News

Professor Mary Ryan has accepted appointment as Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) with effect from 1 August 2022 for a term of office of five years – 15 July 2022.
Imperial and Hitachi to launch decarbonisation research centre – 11 July 2022
Imperial and The World Bank aim to unlock investment for just energy transition – 24 June 2022
Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours recognise Imperial academics – 02 June 2022
Imperial research is best in UK, finds REF 2021 – 12 May 2022
Imperial’s White City campus named as location for NATO innovation headquarters – 08 April 2022
ERC President visits Imperial as latest European grant award success celebrated – 17 March 2022

Video messages to the Imperial Community

March 2022: REF 2021: Imperial research is best in UK

Inaugural lecture of the first postholder of the Armourers & Brasiers’ Chair, Professor Mary Ryan, November 2022

Professor Mary Ryan welcomed the President of the European Research Council to Imperial following the College's latest success from Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation (March 2022).

Professor Mary Ryan welcomes Labour Shadow Business Secretary and Shadow Science Minister to Imperial (June 2022).

Professor Mary Ryan presenting an overview of Imperial’s pioneering initiative Transition to Zero Pollution to leaders from the Committee for Culture and Science of the Bavarian State Assembly (March 2022).