About the Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee

Find out more about UCL's Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee

What does the Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee do?

To support our work to reform research ethics at UCL, the Research Innovation and Global Engagement Committee (RIGEC) has approved a new governance structure.

Further information about the new structure can be found on our About the UCL Research Ethics Committee page. Under this governance structure, the Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (LMS REC) has been established.

From spring 2024, the LMS REC will review high and low-risk ethics applications from 4 faculties:

• Brain Sciences
• Life Sciences
• Population Health Sciences
• Medical Sciences

How do I submit an application for review by the LMS REC?

Visit our Apply to the UCL Research Ethics Committee page for details on how to submit an ethics application and links to the ethics database.

2023/24 and 2024/25 UCL LMS application deadlines and meeting dates

Constitution and membership

Terms of reference

1. To receive, review and provide an ethics opinion on research by staff or students both low-risk and high-risk from Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences.
2. To determine whether the opinion is a) favourable as proposed, b) conditionally favourable, under certain defined conditions or specific requirements or c) unfavourable.
3. To review and provide an ethical opinion (as outlined above) on amendments to previously approved protocols.
4. To review appeals, complaints and adverse events or incidents reported regarding ethically approved research and report them to the UCL Research Ethics Committee (UCL REC).
5. To exercise powers to require the halting of research if substantive ethical problems are identified as the project progresses until such time as any such concerns have been remedied to the satisfaction of the REC.
6. To exercise powers to withdraw a favourable opinion when concerns such as those identified above are not remedied to the satisfaction of the REC.
7. To ensure that appropriate advice is available for staff, supervisors and students on good practice in relation to the ethics of their research.
8. To report on an annual basis to UCL REC to include a summary of all reviewed projects and a report on the effectiveness of current practice and procedures.

Members

This committee is formed of representatives from the 4 faculties that form this committee (Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences). The reviewing committee also includes lay members who bring a wide range of skills and experience to ensure that the participant’s perspective in any project is considered in detail. 

Chair: Vacant

Deputy Chairs: Dr Rachel Knowles and Mahi Muqit

Faculty of Brain Sciences  

• Dr Graham Jackson, Institute of Prion Diseases
• Isabelle Wilson, Division of Psychiatry
• Sharandeep Bhogal, Division of Psychiatry
• Mahi Muqit, Institute of Ophthalmology
• Prof Konstantinos Balaskas, Institute of Ophthalmology
• Prof Sarah Garfinkel, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
• Dr Ariana Kular, Division of Psychiatry

Faculty of Life Sciences 

• Dr Lisa Cabrita, Structural and Molecular Biology
• Dr Arnaud Ruiz, School of Pharmacy
• Dr Majella Lane, School of Pharmacy 
• Prof Francesca Cacucci, Div of Biosciences

Faculty of Medical Sciences 

• Dr David Chau, Eastman Dental Institute
• Dr Melanie Clements, Research Department of Cancer Bio
• Dr Rowena Viney, Medical School
• Emily Ambrose, Cancer Trials Centre
• Dr Eleanor Nash, Medical School 
• Dr John Garcia, Research Department of Haematology 

Faculty of Population Health Sciences 

• Dr Rachel Knowles, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
• Dr Claire Powell, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
• Dr Sally Davenport, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
• Dr Elisa Ruiz Burga, Institute for Global Health
• Dr Jenevieve Mannell,  Institute for Global Health
• Dr Dimitra Kale, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care
• Dr Wolfgang Stohr, Institute of Clinical trials and Methodology
• Dr Jacqueline Nicholls, Institute for Women’s Health Sciences

Lay members

• Maariyah Samad
• Janette Laroche