Nuffield Council on Bioethics

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCoB) is a leading independent policy and research centre, and the foremost bioethics body in the UK. Established by the trustees of the Nuffield Foundation and a continuing integral part of the Foundation, the Council has for over thirty years identified, analysed, and advised on ethical issues in biomedicine and health so that decisions in these areas benefit people and society. The work of the council has led to shifts in public understanding and lasting policy change in the UK and internationally on topics ranging from public health to assisted reproduction and genome editing. In Spring 2023 the Council will be launching a new strategy that builds on its dual focus of scholarly, multidisciplinary research and deliberation with outputs that have impact on debate, policy and practice.  Under the new strategy the Council plans to expand horizon scanning, so they are even better placed to identify ethical challenges emerging from developments in bioscience and medicine before they arise; cultivate bioethics networks to strengthen the voice of ethics in biomedicine and health in the UK and internationally; and increase focus on embedding ethics in policy making. It is funded jointly by the Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council.

The funders now seek to appoint the Chair (Elect) of the NCoB Council who will succeed Professor Dave Archard when he stands down at the end of his term as Chair in 2023. The role of Chair requires someone of distinction in academic or public life, with deep knowledge of, and standing in the field of bioethics or a related area in the context of the diverse and complex nature of contemporary culture and society. The Chair is expected to be comfortable in facilitating dialogue between moral philosophers and bioethicists, scientists, sociologists and lawyers and to demonstrate a broad interdisciplinary perspective as well as intellectual rigour. The successful candidate will need to be able to use judgement and authority to create consensus from amongst the individual views of Council members; demonstrate an ability to appreciate both professional and public perspectives and to win and maintain the confidence of stakeholders and a number of different audiences. Some experience of working in public policy and familiarity with government, academia and industry is necessary.  Above all, the Chair must be able to take an impartial stance on difficult issues and offer a firm commitment to reasoned argument and the appropriate use of evidence.

The Chair should have substantial experience of chairing multi-disciplinary stakeholder meetings, and be able to apply this in dealing with complex issues that will shape public debate and policy in matters of biomedicine. The Chair is responsible for maintaining the NCoB’s reputation for quality, objectivity and independence and because these issues mainly concern science and medicine there is a strong though not absolute preference for a Chair who is neither a bio-scientist nor a medical clinician.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference BAAUH. Alternatively telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by noon on Monday 30 January 2023.