RIS Impact Team
Research Impact Team
The Research Impact team is based in Research and Impact Services (R&IS). We offer support and expertise throughout the impact journey - from developing an idea and stakeholder mapping, to evaluation and evidence gathering.
The Research Impact Managers work centrally within R&IS to support and advise each faculty on impact planning and strategy, embedding impact into grant applications, and all matters pertaining to impact in the REF. The team also manages a multi-million-pound portfolio of institutional grants for research impact. Get in touch for:
- Strategic advice on developing pathways to impact - via external engagement locally, regionally, nationally and internationally
- Guidance on how to embed impact into funding bids
- Advice on policy engagement opportunities and support for the development of policy briefs.
- Support to track and record evidence of research impact
- Delivery of the impact component of the Research Excellence Framework
Head of Research Impact
Cliona Boyle
Head of Research Impact (Assistant Director, Research and Impact Services)
Cliona provides strategic and operational leadership to enhance the university’s research impact and leads the delivery of the institutional impact strategy and REF impact submission. She joined the university in 2025 from the University of Sheffield.
Faculty of Arts
Dr Lesley Chikoore
Research Impact Manager
Lesley joined the team in 2018. In addition to designing and delivering the cross-faculty impact training programme, he has supported researchers across the physical sciences and social sciences to develop and articulate the impact of their research - including support for Warwick’s submission to REF2021 in Main Panels A and B.
Mandeep Tutt
Impact Support Officer (Faculty of Arts)
Mandeep joined the team in 2024 from Warwick Business School and provides support for researchers in the Faculty of Arts to plan, run and evaluate their Impact activities.
Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr Kathryn van de Wiel
Research Impact Manager
Departments: Economics; School of Law; Philosophy; Politics and International Studies
Kathryn joined the team in 2021, first as an Impact Support Officer in the Faculty of Arts and then later becoming a Research Impact Manager for the Faculty of Social Sciences. She has a PhD in Classics and Ancient History and has previously worked in widening participation to Higher Education. Kathryn programme-manages the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account together with her colleague, Helen.
Dr Helen Ackers
Research Impact Manager
Departments: Warwick Business School; Institute of Employment Research; Sociology; Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies; School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences (comprising Applied Linguistics; Centre for Research into Intellectual and Development Disabilities (CIDD); Centre for Lifelong Learning; Centre for Teacher Education; and Education Studies)
Helen joined the team in 2021 from the University of Birmingham where she led on the delivery of the Social Science Impact submission for REF 2021 and worked closely with impact leads preparing cases and evidence portfolios. Prior to this, Helen was a Teaching Fellow (University of Warwick), Fulbright Postdoc. (Duke University) and Classics Tutor (University of Oxford). In her current role she leads on Social Science Impact strategy, REF Impact preparations and programme-manages the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, with her colleague Kathryn.
Dr Nadine Otting
Impact Development Officer
Departments: Warwick Business School; Institute of Employment Research; Sociology; Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies; School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences (comprising Applied Linguistics; Centre for Research into Intellectual and Development Disabilities (CIDD); Centre for Lifelong Learning; Centre for Teacher Education; and Education Studies)
Nadine joined the team in 2025. She has a strong record in building the evidence base for early intervention and prevention across organisations and disseminating learning to drive system-wide improvements and influence local and national policy. She holds a PhD in Chinese Linguistics and brings rigorous analytical skills and a research-driven mindset to achieve impacts in policy and practice. She is passionate about reducing inequalities through coproduction and evidence-based approaches.
Emily Woodruff
Impact Funding Officer
Emily joined the team in 2023 and supports the development of impact in the Faculty of Social Sciences. This includes the administration of the ESRC IAA and the Policy Support Fund, as well as supporting with capacity building through impact-related training, events and activities.
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine
Grace Prewett
Research Impact Manager
Departments: Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Physics; WMG
Grace joined Warwick in 2018 to support the University’s portfolio of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), and then moved into the Impact Team as Research Impact Manager for the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine in 2020.
She oversees the programme management of the EPSRC IAA, STFC IAA, and Space Sciences Fund.
Dr Rob Hollingworth
Research Impact Manager
Departments: School of Life Sciences; Statistics; Mathematics; Psychology; Warwick Medical School
Rob joined the Team in 2022 having previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher and then an Impact Development Officer at the University of Birmingham. Rob manages internal impact funding related to medical and biological sciences and supports the wider Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine to identify and support impactful research.
Dr Liam Thomas
Impact Development Officer
Departments: Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Physics; WMG
Liam joined the team in March 2025 following postdoctoral and graduate teaching assistant positions at the University of Leicester. He has a PhD in Chemical Biology and provides impact development support across the physical sciences. Prior to roles in higher education, he supported projects across the media industry with a focus on equality and inclusion.
Thomas Jenkins
Impact Development Officer
Departments supported: School of Life Sciences; Statistics; Mathematics; Psychology; Warwick Medical School
Thomas joined the team in September 2025. Previous to joining the University of Warwick, Thomas worked in the Research Funding and Development team at Coventry University and prior to that various academic library roles at Coventry University and the University of Birmingham.
Cross-faculty Support
<<Impact Training Officer>>
Impact Training Officer
The post holder is responsible for developing and delivering Warwick Impact Academy’s impact training and development programme. Internally, the role also involves supporting the Impact Team in coordinating its impact related data and processes.
India Holme
Research and Impact Development Manager (Regional)
India is currently working at the nexus of research development, impact and engagement, with a focus on Coventry and Warwickshire. She has prior experience working at a Local Authority, with a BA in Politics and Philosophy and MA in International Law and Politics.
India is an experienced inter-/transdisciplinary project manager with expertise in relationship building, research engagement, working with arts and cultural organisations, freelancers, and the third/voluntary/public sectors. She loves ideas, people and research and connecting them in sometimes unexpected ways, a big fan of participatory research and the phrase 'nothing about us without us', and personally interested in neurodiversity research and related projects - check out these webpages and get in touch! Place-based Research & Culture | Research at Warwick.