University news

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 will include Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak FMedSci, Regus Chair of Medicine at the University of Glasgow and Chief Scientist (Health) for the Scottish Government, and 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 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.

Professor Anna Dominiczak, Regius Chair of Medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: “The field of medal sciences plays a vital role within the UK. Bringing together the NHS, academic research and the pharmaceutical industry, the sector encompasses a range of professions all key to the progression of healthcare and the development of innovation in treatments.

“The taskforce is focusing on this sector at a pivotal time, with the advent of AI in healthcare and acceleration in innovation, and with the aim of ensuring more fluidity between clinical and non-clinical rolls.”

Dr Tony Wood FMedSci, Chief Scientific Officer at GlaxoSmithKline 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 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.

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 researchers, clinicians, data scientists, technologists, research technicians and professionals working across the NHS, academia and industry.

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Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 4 March 2026