Management team

Prof James Catto

CRF Director

As CRF Director, I provide strategic leadership to support the delivery of high‑quality clinical research across Sheffield. I work closely with colleagues across the Trust and the University, as well as with external funders and partners, to ensure the CRF continues to build capacity and enhance the quality of experimental medicine, supports the delivery of later‑phase studies, and promotes the sharing of good practice.

Alongside this role, I am Professor of Surgery at the University of Sheffield and an Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I also hold posts as an Honorary Senior Clinical Research fellow at the University of Oxford.

As a researcher, my work focuses on the biology and management of urological cancers.

It is a privilege to lead the CRF and to work with highly committed research delivery teams whose expertise and collaboration enables future improvements in patient care and long‑term outcomes.

Karen French

Head of Operations

As Head of Operations, I provide leadership, management, and strategic direction for the development of the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility (CRF).  I have forged close links with other CRFs and BRCs across the UK and Ireland and actively contribute to strategic advisory groups to enable links for sharing knowledge and expertise within the national clinical research and experimental medicine infrastructure, including the NIHR UKCRF Network. I have a long career working within admin and management roles within the NHS and University of Sheffield and achieved an MBA in 2015 to further develop my knowledge and expertise in strategic and operational management.

I am privileged to be able to work alongside amazing people within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the University of Sheffield to support the delivery of life-changing clinical research across multiple clinical disciplines.  Being part of a team that strives to make a positive difference to the lives of people through healthcare and treatment improvements is invigorating and ignites my passion for the clinical research arena.

I am proud to be part of a leadership team that works with a great team of people.

Gail Mills

Associate Nurse Director Research & Development

As Associate Nurse Director, Research & Development, I am employed through the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (STH) Clinical Research and Innovation Office (CRIO). I have professional responsibility for all clinical research nurses and non-medical research delivery staff (such as clinical trials assistants) across STH. This includes staff who work within the directorates across STH, managed by the Trust Research Matron as well as those within the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre (CCTC) and the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility (CRF) through their Matrons. I am also the Health and Care Director (NMAHP) for the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Regional Research Delivery Network. On a national level I am the UKCRF Network, Workforce Development Deputy Lead. I also represent Clinical Research Nurses as Deputy Chair and Secretary for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Research Forum Clinical Research Nurse Sub-committee until Spring 2026.

Clinical research nurses deliver high quality care to patients who are involved in clinical research trials. They develop expert knowledge of the research process alongside specialist and advanced clinical skills and ensure the safety and wellbeing of research participants. They are patient advocates and through the breadth of leading -edge clinical trials running within STH; from early phase experimental medicine through to large scale later phase trials, they contribute to improved understanding of health conditions, better patient outcomes and access to new treatments and interventions.

The role of a clinical research nurse is varied and rewarding, and we have an excellent, dedicated and highly skilled workforce of clinical research nurses and research delivery staff within our Trust, making a real difference to the care our patients receive. Never has this been more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic where the CRF team worked with colleagues from across the Trust and Universities to manage and deliver Department of Health and Social Care designated ‘Urgent Public Health’ research studies to identify treatments for patients with COVID-19 and support the development of safe and effective vaccines for the virus.

It is a privilege to lead such a fantastic team of clinical research nurses and research delivery staff within STH, as well as represent the research delivery workforce on a regional and national level.

Rikki Titheridge

Operations Manager

As Operations Manager I lead the CRF Operations Team to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the department, enabling successful delivery of clinical trials and a great patient experience. Working alongside colleagues from across the Trust, I work to embed systems and processes which make sure that appropriate governance and excellent quality is maintained in everything that we do. This also involves ongoing review and evaluation of our activity to identify and deliver any service improvement projects required to meet evolving demands and ensure the strategic aims of the CRF are being met.

Research is a fundamental component of the work undertaken in the NHS to ensure we continue to advance healthcare, expanding on our current knowledge to develop better diagnosis, treatments, and outcomes for everyone.

I feel incredibly privileged to work alongside fantastic colleagues who bring their expertise and passion every day and to collaborate with the inspirational patients who take part in the research, without whom this vital work to improve services and transform people’s lives would not be possible.

Jo Kadziola

CRF Matron

As CRF Matron I manage a large team of clinical staff to support the delivery of a range of clinical trials from early phase experimental medicine through to later phase studies. This involves working closely with colleagues within the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility (CRF) and across the Trust to determine priority studies, allocate studies to the appropriate CRF team and ensure we have adequate staff and skill mix to ensure research is conducted safely to the highest standards to provide research participants with excellent quality of care.

The CRF team works with Investigators from every Directorate within the Trust and has been a significant contributor to the Local and National response to the COVID-19 pandemic supporting multiple COVID -19 trials including the development of a number of COVID-19 vaccines; interventional trials to determine best treatment pathways for patients and long-term studies to understand disease progression and patient outcomes.

I have never been more proud to work in clinical research and see the immediate benefits to patient care and long-term outcomes that are possible through the hard work and dedication of my fantastic team and their collaboration with colleagues across the Trust.

Alex Radford

CRF Matron / Senior Research Sister – Operational Support 

I am passionate about research and the positive impact it has on the lives of real people.

I have worked in clinical trial delivery within Sheffield since 2007, and in the CRF since 2012, progressing from a research sister to senior research sister in 2014, before being appointed to Matron in 2026. During this time, I have had the pleasure of being involved in research that has improved the health of patients and changed how they are cared for within the NHS and worldwide.

As CRF Matron, I am responsible for overseeing the expanding experimental medicine (EM) portfolio, which is instrumental to the delivery of all our early phase research. I provide clinical and operational leadership to a large multidisciplinary team, supporting the safe and effective delivery of a wide range of research studies. This includes working closely with colleagues across the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility (CRF), Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield to determine priority studies, allocate work appropriately across teams, and ensure we have the capacity, capability and skill mix required to deliver research to the highest possible standards.

My role involves supporting researchers across multiple clinical disciplines within the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), and working closely with research sisters, research nurses and clinical team leaders across the local and regional research infrastructure to ensure experimental medicine studies are delivered safely, efficiently and with excellent participant care at the centre.

I am part of a fantastic team and take great pride in providing strong clinical and operational leadership, supporting the senior management team to strengthen clinical management, operational delivery and leadership capability in order to meet the department’s local, regional and national priorities. I am proud to work in clinical research and to see both the immediate and long-term benefits for patients that are made possible through the dedication of the teams I work with.