Dr. Simon Vaughan

Simon is responsible for the development and implementation of our nomination, review, and selection processes to ensure we identify the most promising global talent as Schmidt Science Fellows.

He is also responsible for the admissions engagement strategy – focusing on nominating partners and prospective candidates – developing outreach activities and training resources for early career researchers.

Simon holds a PhD in plant molecular biology and has a broad range of post-doctoral research experience in the natural sciences, working on research projects investigating physiology, transgene regulation mechanisms, biochemistry, population genetics, and virology.

Before joining Schmidt Science Fellows, he was Head of Grants and International Programmes at Rothamsted Research, where was responsible for the funding, design, and management of a £2M portfolio of international collaborative research activities: encompassing commissioned research, early-career researcher training & mobility, and impact acceleration activities across a range of STEM disciplines. This included establishing cross-disciplinary programs in Brazil, China, and East Africa as well as developing further initiatives to facilitate researcher engagement with international partners across the EU, India, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Nepal, Uruguay, and the Philippines.