Principal investigators

The departmental Principal Investigators are the senior academic staff who lead research programmes (including managing research staff), help the Head of Department set research strategy and contribute to the academic functioning of the department. The role of the PI is therefore critical to the successful functioning and success of the department.

A departmental Principal Investigator (PI) is a researcher who has successfully raised substantial external research funding as named Lead or Principal Investigator and also has their personal salary covered in an understandable “business plan” with the department whether this be via internal departmental funding or external funding (e/g/ NHS, MRC, Wellcome).  External research funding would include:

• PI on substantial project or programme grant
• being a theme leader on a large strategic award (e.g. Wellcome)
• being theme/programme leader in NIHR BRC or CLAHRC
• an intermediate or senior research fellowship 

This definition excludes:

• an individual whose salary is funded as a
  researcher on a grant on which they were not a Principal Investigator
  themselves
• an individual named as a collaborator on a
  research grant, however their personal salary is funded

Honorary members of the department (e.g. Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturers) may be PIs using the same criteria.