She will join the University in September to lead the Health Innovation Campus (HIC) where health experts will work collaboratively with businesses and the health sector to tackle the biggest challenge in healthcare today - helping people to live as long and as healthily as possible.

Dr Kothari is currently the Chief Executive and Managing Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing.  This is a $60M, not-for-profit, Australian Government initiative, which brings together industry and academia, focused on facilitating the manufacture and translation of cell therapies into clinical practice to provide new treatments for conditions such as diabetes, chronic wounds, cardiovascular disease, and immune-mediated diseases such as cancer.

She started her career in maxillofacial surgery before a PhD in biomaterials and tissue engineering in the UK, followed by an MBA. Early in her career, she was a recipient of the Marie Curie Fellowship and was a lecturer at UMIST and Sheffield University.

Dr Kothari has been recognised in prestigious innovation and leadership awards and was recently invited to join the International Women’s Forum, an organisation that advances leadership by connecting the world’s most pre-eminent women of significant and diverse achievement.

The work of the HIC will be focused around enabling people to achieve and sustain their optimal health and wellbeing, to enable early detection and intervention of disease and access to care.  As well as digital innovation, this will include the design, development and evaluation of healthy places to live and work, improving health systems, and the development of new materials to improve health.

Dr Kothari said: “We live in a time of unprecedented change. Health systems in the UK, and globally, are under enormous pressure, necessitating innovative approaches across a range of platforms to ensure better health outcomes. Lancaster’s Health Innovation Campus is an exciting initiative focused on challenging the status quo to bring about meaningful impact to how we manage the future health of our nation.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Atherton welcomed her appointment:

“I am delighted that Sherry has joined Lancaster to lead our exciting new venture which will improve the health of populations in the region. Her expertise and experience will be a huge asset to our team.

“Through the Health Innovation Campus, we intend to generate world-class science in collaboration with partners and make a major contribution to the local and national economy by attracting major investment, supporting job creation and the growth of businesses locally.”

HIC is funded by the University and through the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal Fund and the European Structural and Investment Fund. Construction of the £41 million first phase of the building, adjacent to the University’s campus, has started on site and is due to open in 2019.