Liverpool recruits biomedical stars for world-class labs

An investment of £6.2 million in biomedical sciences at Liverpool University has led to the appointment of world-class researchers and the creation of new posts, writes Tony Tysome.

New laboratories that have just been completed with £3.8 million backing from the Government's Science Research Infrastructure Fund will provide state-of-the-art facilities for 40 researchers working on projects to further understanding of human development, cancer and other diseases.

Bob Burgoyne, head of Liverpool's School of Biomedical Sciences, said:

"This is an important area of work because it links to clinical applications.

"In Liverpool, there has been a decision to invest in it because of the high quality of senior staff who are already here. The idea was to invest in new people at the lecturer level as a long-term move. So, rather than being driven just by the research assessment exercise, it is an investment that is looking ten to 20 years ahead."

Funding from Research Councils UK is being used to seek three new RCUK fellows in the next few months and to fill a chair and three lectureships in pharmacology in addition to a lecturing post in physiology. The new recruits will join other biomedical scientists who have recently joined the international team.