Kirsty Grainger Acting Director, Research and Innovation Services
Responsible for leading the University’s Research and Innovations Services, helping position the University for future success in a competitive environment.
Contact details
Kirsty Grainger kg909@bath.ac.uk
Role
Kirsty Grainger was appointed Acting Director of RIS in January 2024. As Acting Director of RIS, Kirsty is responsible for:
- grant submissions, acceptance and finance
- large and strategic grants
- research project management
- industrial partnerships
- research commercialisation
- research and commercialisation contracts
- research impact
Career
Kirsty has spent 20 years working in strategy and funding roles in the research and innovation sector. Prior to joining the University of Bath, this was within UKRI, where she was the Head of Strategy: Careers and Culture, and the inaugural Director of UKRI’s flagship Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) scheme.
Before this Kirsty worked in a number of different roles at the Research Councils, including as a Senior Policy Manager at the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and as the Associate Director: Research and HR Directorates at the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). She has also worked as a Senior Research Policy Advisor at the University of Oxford.
As well as a wealth of experience in the research policy and funding environment, Kirsty is widely regarded as a mentor and sponsor. She has a passion for delivering positive research culture and was instrumental in securing a 10% increase to doctoral student stipends, and in the harmonisation of doctoral funding policy and practice at UKRI.