The key people in Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit. Prof Amanda Farrin - ECTU Director & Professor of Clinical Trials and Complex Intervention Evaluation Amanda.Farrin@ed.ac.ukResearch Explorer Profile - access it hereProfessor Amanda Farrin was appointed Director of the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit on 1st October 2025. Amanda joins The University of Edinburgh from the University of Leeds, where she was Professor of Clinical Trials and Evaluation of Complex Interventions and headed up the Complex Interventions Division of the Leeds Institute for Clinical Trials Research. With over 25 years of experience as a medical statistician, Amanda has worked in academia, the NHS, and the pharmaceutical industry, developing and evaluating complex health, social care, and behavioural change interventions in high-priority areas such as stroke, mental health, diet and obesity, cancer, primary care, care homes, and end-of-life care. Deputy Director (Clinical) - this role is currently available. The ECTU Deputy Director (clinical) will work with the ECTU Director and the ECTU Senior Leadership Team to update ECTU strategy and direction, modernising the ECTU approach to innovative clinical trials research, thereby positioning the University of Edinburgh as an international leader in high-impact trials research and education.Up to 31 May 2026 it was held by Prof Rustam Al-Shahi Salman, Professor of Clinical Neurology. https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/rustam-salmanhttps://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/professor-rustam-al-shahi-salman Joyce Thomson - Chief Operating Officer0131 651 9982; joyce.thomson@ed.ac.ukResearch Explorer Profile - access it hereReporting to the Director, Joyce is responsible for the overall running and strategic management of ECTU. This involves having oversight of HR, finance, operational and planning functions. Joyce is closely involved in assessing and developing research grant proposals, working with the trial execution and methodology teams on the operational planning and costing of future studies. She represents ECTU on the various management committees within the Deanery, Institute and College. Having over 25 years’ experience within Operations, Joyce has worked in a variety of industries and roles and has been involved with clinical trials for the past decade. Her background is in Chemistry and she has a Masters degree in Business Administration. Gina Cranswick - Senior Trial Team Manager0131 651 9911; gina.cranswick@ed.ac.ukResearch Explorer profile - access it hereMy background is in managing large, international, pragmatic, academic trials. My role is Trial Team Manager for the Operations team within ECTU. This 15 strong team is made up of Trial managers, assistant TMs, support officers and data management. I am responsible for overseeing the trial within our portfolio including CTIMPS, NON CTIMPs, device trials and observational studies within a range of disease conditions including GI, rheumatology, neurology, paediatrics, cardiology and critical care. Part of my role is to provide research design advice to researchers for potential new studies. I am also a founder member on the faculty of the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Management Course. William Main - Data Management & Programming Team Lead0131 651 9932; will.main@ed.ac.uk Research Explorer profile - access it hereAs the Data Management and Programming Team Lead, I oversee the implementation and delivery of all clinical trial databases and web applications, working collaboratively with Chief Investigators and all parts of ECTU to establish key requirements and deliver trials to high regulatory and technical standards. With over 15 years of private sector experience as a Software Engineer and Technical Lead, I have built and led innovative, adaptable, and high-performing teams to meet the demands of time-critical projects for global organisations including Microsoft and Mitsubishi Electric. My background is a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering, specialising in software development models and practices. Pamela Sinclair - Business Team Lead0131 651 9902; pamela.sinclair@ed.ac.ukResearch Explorer profile - access it hereReporting to the Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for leading the Business Team and providing the business and administrative support function of ECTU ensuring that the operating requirements of all ECTU teams are met. Contributes to the strategic development of ECTU and the delivery and development of the clinical trials pathway within Edinburgh. Aggie Tello - Senior Research Development Manager0131 651 9974; agnes.tello@ed.ac.ukResearch Explorer Profile - access it hereAs the lead of the Research Development and Trial Planning Team, I work in partnership with Chief Investigators and colleagues across the University of Edinburgh and NHS to develop, design and deliver high-quality research proposals for randomised controlled trials and other clinical studies.My research background is in genetics (MSc) and regenerative medicine (PhD). Most recently, I was the Senior Programme Manager for Early Cancer Diagnosis at the University of St Andrews. Prof Chris Weir - Professor of Medical statistics and Clinical Trials0131 651 9957 (BQ9); christopher.weir@ed.ac.ukResearch Explorer Profile - access it hereExperienced health services researcher and clinical trials methodologist, co-leading the statistical work of the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit. Role involves collaboration with clinical investigators to deliver high impact clinical trials and health research studies, alongside development of novel statistical clinical trials methodology to support current and future research.Current Research InterestsAdaptive design clinical trialsStatistical methods for the evaluation of potential surrogate outcomes in clinical trialsDesign and analysis of cluster-randomised trials, including stepped-wedge designs Access further information here:People - staff (alphabetical listing)People - staff (by category) This article was published on Tuesday 24 September 2024
