We are delighted to announce that we have invited Etienne Roesch, Local Network Lead at the University of Reading, to join the UKRN Steering Group as a representative of our Local Networks.

Etienne is Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Reading, and Deputy Director of the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience & Neurodynamics. He is interested in the development of statistical methods for reproducibility, and improving the training of scientists in reproducible research practices. You can learn more about Etienne at https://www.reading.ac.uk/pcls/staff/etienne-roesch and follow him on Twitter at @etienneroesch.

Congrats Etienne!

The Steering Group, which currently comprises Marcus Munafò (Chair), Alexandra Collins, Chris Chambers, Etienne Roesch, Laura Fortunato, and Malcolm Macleod, is responsible for the overall coordination of UKRN activity and strategy. It is supported by a part-time administrator. The Steering Group reports to the Local Network Leads and Institutional Leads, and to the Stakeholder Engagement Group, by means of an annual report (in July) and meeting (in March). The current Steering Group will continue until March 2022; the membership of the Steering Group and a process for appointing new members will be developed from March 2021.

To promote greater links between our Local Networks and the Steering Group, we opened applications on the Steering Group position to Local Network Leads. Applications were evaluated by the Advisory Board, based on the motivation for being a member, and the skills and experience that an applicant would bring. We would like to thank everyone who applied to fill the role, and for their continued work with UKRN as Local Network Leads.