Caroline Wilkinson
Chief Operating Officer
Caroline is Chief Operating Officer for the Institute where she leads an operational team that that helps to facilitate the smooth running of the Institute in areas such as health and safety, grants administration, research integrity, postgraduate education, communications, information governance, business continuity planning and Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act governance. She is the Establishment Licence Holder for research conducted at the Institute under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act and is part of the national Establishments Licence Holders’ Committee.
About Dr Caroline Wilkinson
Caroline Wilkinson studied Biochemistry at the University of Oxford where she was awarded the Gibbs Prize followed by a PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Edinburgh. Following a period of post-doctoral research at the Medical Research Council’s Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh she was awarded a Wellcome Trust International Prize fellowship to undertake research at the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School. She returned to the UK and took up a position as an Associate Scientist at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester working with Professor Nic Jones. She moved into a managerial role in 2011 and then became the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute’s Chief Operating Officer in 2013.
In recent years, Caroline has helped to lead the Institute’s efforts in recovering from the devastating fire at the Paterson Building in 2017 including the relocation to Alderley Park, negotiating the resulting insurance claim, contributing to the planning permission application and design of the new Paterson Building as well as establishing operational practices there during the relocation back to the new building in 2023.
Caroline works closely with the Institute’s host institution, The University of Manchester and its main funder, Cancer Research UK, as well as various legislative bodies to ensure that the Institute complies with various governance and policy requirements.
She is the Establishment Licence Holder for research conducted at the Institute under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act and is part of the national Establishments Licence Holders’ Committee, a key stakeholder group which is consulted by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit at the Home Office. She chairs both the Institute’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee and Emergency Response and Business Continuity Committee and is a member of the Institute’s Senior Management Team, Scientific Strategy Committee, Education Committee, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Information Governance Committee. She is a standing member of the Institute’s Contribution Review panel and liaises closely with the Human Resources and Finance teams over various policy and financial administration matters respectively.
Why I work at CRUK MI
“I love contributing to, and being constantly exposed to, amazing science. I feel very fortunate to work with incredibly committed and enthusiastic colleagues across every area of the Institute – whether they work directly at the bench or contribute to the research in other ways.”
Visit Operations
The Operations team provides a suite of support services that facilitates the smooth running of the Institute. There are four senior operational managers. Caroline Wilkinson is the Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for scientific administration, compliance and communication. She also acts as the primary point of operational contact within the Institute for both The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK. Rachel Powell is the Chief Human Resources Officer and oversees a team providing general human resources support and recruitment services. Stuart Pepper is the Chief Laboratory Officer and has oversight of the core facilities, Scientific Computing and IT team as well as general laboratory management across the Institute. Mike Berne is the Chief Finance Officer who manages the work of the Institute’s finance and purchasing team.
Meet the Operations Team
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Finance Officer
Chief HR Officer
Health and Safety Advisor
Grants Advisor and Scientific Operations Officer
Administrative Services Coordinator
Operations Project Lead & EA to Deputy Director
Health & Safety Manager and Biological Safety Advisor
Postgraduate Education Manager
HR Officer
Recruitment Manager
Purchasing Officer
HR Partner
EA to Chief Operating Officer & Chief Laboratory Officer
Finance Operations Manager
Research Integrity and Training Adviser
Regulatory Liaison & Training Officer
Senior Finance Officer
Chair of the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body
Senior Finance Officer
Information Governance Coordinator & Administrative Officer