The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) is a leading independent policy and research centre, and the foremost bioethics body in the UK.  We identify, analyse, and advise on ethical issues in biomedicine and health so that decisions in these areas benefit people and society.

Developments in biomedicine and health are important in solving some of the world’s problems but also raise profound ethical challenges.  For 35 years we have tackled some of the most complex bioethical issues facing society – we aim to bring clarity to complexity and find practical ways to bring about lasting policy change in the UK and internationally and make shifts in public understanding.

We are looking to recruit three new Council members to contribute and engage in the work of the NCOB.  We are seeking to ensure representation from across the public, private and third sectors.  We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with industry experience.

We wish to appoint Council members from each of the following areas of expertise:

• Data and AI ethics

• Bio-science / medical science

• Healthcare practice

Council members are part of the deliberative body that drives the intellectual function of the organisation.  The main responsibilities of the role are to contribute to decisions on strategic direction and topic selection as well as providing scrutiny and quality assurance on our work and outputs.

Candidates do not have to be directly involved in the field of bioethics, but they should be able to demonstrate an interest and appreciation of ethical issues across different areas of biomedicine and heath.  Key qualities include a willingness to contribute to debate in an open and constructive manner and a willingness and ability to work with others in a multidisciplinary environment which engages with a wide variety of stakeholders.

A full role description with information on essential and desirable skills is included in the information pack found here (PDF).

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, stages in their career and with a wide range of experiences, perspectives and expertise which is a key part of our multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial approach. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to creating a Council that reflects the breadth of the communities we serve.   

We encourage applications from within groups who are currently under‑represented in governance and advisory roles, in particular applicants from minoritised ethnic groups, those who are LGBTQ+, or who have a disability.

We are committed to reducing barriers to participation. This includes offering flexible ways of contributing to committee work, making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and appointment process, and ensuring that our selection processes are fair, transparent and inclusive.

We value lived experience alongside professional expertise, and we recognise that diversity strengthens decision‑making and improves the quality of our outputs.

Time commitment

The time commitment is usually around one to two days a month. The basic commitment are Council’s three to four meetings a year which are three hours long and involve reading a substantial set of papers in preparation which will take roughly half a day. In addition, we ask that Council members sit on one or more Council led advisory groups, which provide close oversight on discrete research areas, The advisory groups meet around three times a year, and with preparation time, would require around four hours of work for each meeting.  There are also other opportunities to be involved, for example in our horizon scanning, futures and foresight work, attending conferences and events on the NCOBs behalf, membership recruitment and providing ad hoc help and advice.  Being more involved in project work, by being on a working group for example, will add to the time commitment in terms of meetings and contributing to project activities.

We encourage Council members to be actively involved but recognise that some members will have more restrictions on their time than others.

Honorarium

Council members receive an honorarium of £2,000 per annum and reasonable travel expenses are paid.

Applications

Please submit an application using the Applied system, where you will be asked a series of questions and be required to attach a CV.  CVs should be up to two pages long and should not list publications, but say what areas you have published in. Please also provide the names of two individuals we could approach for a reference as to your suitability for membership (please note that they will not be approached until after any interview). 

The closing date for submissions is 10am (BST) on Monday 1st June 2026.  Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed and the dates of the interviews will be 21st and 22nd July 2026.  We welcome requests for any adjustments to ensure that the recruitment process is accessible to everyone.

 Online information session

Please note that we will be holding an online information session to provide information on how the NCOB works, the role of Council members, the application process and answer questions.   Please email press@nuffieldbioethics.org to register and find out more.

If you have queries outside of the information session, please contact press@nuffieldbioethics.org.

International applications

The NCOB is a UK focussed body with strong international connections.  However, NCOB Council membership is restricted to candidates who are resident in the UK.