Rate My Professor Helen Turner

Dr Helen Turner is the Director of Midlands Innovation, a strategic alliance of eight leading research-intensive universities hosted by The University of Nottingham. Appointed in July 2015, she directs efforts to harness the combined research capabilities of Aston University, University of Birmingham, Cranfield University, Keele University, University of Leicester, Loughborough University, The University of Nottingham, and University of Warwick to drive regional economic growth, innovation, and policy influence. As a materials scientist, Dr Turner has dedicated her career to facilitating collaborations between universities and industry partners, enhancing research impact across sectors.

Prior to this appointment, Dr Turner served as Director of the Midlands Energy Consortium for seven years, where she played a key role in successfully securing £60 million in funding for the Midlands Energy Research Accelerator, promoting advanced energy research and development. In her current leadership position, she has championed the vital role of technical staff in higher education and research. As co-lead of the £5 million TALENT programme—a collaboration between The University of Nottingham and University of Warwick—she oversaw the production of a landmark report providing recommendations to upskill and create career pathways for 30,000–50,000 technicians nationwide, supporting the UK's ambitions in science, engineering, and creative industries. Dr Turner established the Higher Education Technicians Summit (HETS), the UK's largest conference dedicated to technicians, and the Papin Prizes, which recognize outstanding achievements by technical professionals. Her contributions extend to broader initiatives like PRISMs and AI-RDN+, and she advocates for regional university partnerships to attract international investment, as demonstrated through her policy writings and speaking engagements at events such as the Universities UK Research and Innovation Conference. Earlier in her career, she held positions as Head of Research and Innovation Services at the University of Surrey and Head of Research Support at the University of Leeds.