Current Position

Director of the National Horizons Centre, Darlington, UK (https://www.tees.ac.uk/nhc/)

Member of Teesside University Senior Management Team

As Director of the National Horizons Centre (NHC) at Teesside University I am responsible for leading the NHC's development as a centre of excellence for the biosciences and healthcare sectors. With research, partnerships and training at our core, the NHC brings together industry, the NHS, academia, talent and world-class facilities to create real-world impact. Working closely with our partners we put business at the forefront of innovation and train the workforce of tomorrow to address the technical and digital skills and needs of the sector. As an active researcher. I play a key role supporting the full research and innovation lifecycle, from early diagnosis of diseases to manufacturing medicines with a focus on patient benefit.

Please contact me if you would like further information or to discuss potential collaborations and opportunities – [email protected]

Follow - @vikkirand, @RandLabUK, @TU_NHC, @TeessideUni

Connect on LinkedIn - professorvikkirand

Rand Lab - Cancer Genomics and Global Health

The overall aims of my research is to understand the biology of lymphoma and other cancers in order to identify biomarkers and develop new treatment strategies to reduce treatment-related toxicity in order to improve outcome of relapsed/refractory disease. Using a combination of cutting-edge techniques we are determining the presence, frequency and structure of genetic abnormalities in childhood and adult cancers in the UK, Africa and beyond. We are investigating the clinical importance of these genetic abnormalities by correlating the genetic data with clinical information and investigating the role of these abnormalities in the cancer cell.

My drive is to improve the lives of people in the UK and beyond through skills development and driving innovation. I am open to discussing where I can support local, national and international collaborative research, training and associated bids and opportunities. An example of current collaborative programme:

Northern Health Futures: Digital Health Hub for the North East and North Cumbria (NortHFutures)

The EPSRC Funded Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) hub is tackling place-based health and social inequalities through the development of community infrastructures to develop a health-tech innovation ecosystem aiming to widen participation and digital training opportunities for diverse stakeholder. Leading the engagement, networking and entrepreneurship WP5 and am part of the leadership team driving digital skills training (WP3). As part of the leadership team, I support the other WP across research, creating a supportive community and hub management(https://northfutures.org/).

Qualifications

2004 PhD Genomics and Bioinformatics, University of Cambridge/Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

1999 First Class BSc(Hons) Biomedical Sciences, University of Bradford

Previous Positions

Oct 2019-Nov 2021 Director of Research for the National Horizons Centre Darlington, UK (https://www.tees.ac.uk/nhc/) and the Centre of Biodiscovery in the School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK (https://www.tees.ac.uk/schools/shls/)

Sept 2012-Sept 2019 Bloodwise (formerly Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research) Senior Bennett Fellow and Lymphoma Genomics Group Leader, Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, UK

Sept 2010-August 2012 Lecturer in Cancer Genetics, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University

Sept 2008-August 2010 Lecturer Cancer Genetics in Leukaemia Research Cytogenetics Group (LRCG), Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University

Jan 2006-Aug 2008 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, University of Nottingham

Jan 2004-Dec 2005 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, US

Membership and external positions

Director for the UniAlliance Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) in Applied Biosciences for Health

British Society of Haematology (BSH)

Children's Cancer & Leukaemia Group (CCLG)

Cambridge Philosophical Society

External Examiner Cancer Biology Specialist Royal College of Radiologists, Lincoln’s Inn Field, London

Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group Biological Studies Committee Member