UAR is delighted to announce that Professor Branwen Morgan PhD has been appointed as UAR’s new Chief Executive, following an extensive international search process. We are currently finalising all the details, but we expect Branwen to take up the role in early August and also to be at our AGM and Openness Conference in early June, where we hope she will be able to meet many of our members and stakeholders.
Branwen is a senior health and science leader with over two decades of experience driving impact across academia, industry, government, and civil society in Australia and the UK. Renowned for her advocacy led leadership, she specialises in building durable coalitions, aligning diverse interests, and holding complex systems to account in pursuit of public benefit. At Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, Branwen served as Mission Lead for the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Mission, operating at an executive level to convene governments, industry, clinicians, and researchers around shared national priorities and measurable outcomes. She previously cofounded and directed OUTBREAK, an AIenabled AMR surveillance initiative, and was General Manager of AusGEM, a university–state government joint venture addressing biosecurity and food safety. With earlier pharmaceutical sector leadership, board and policy advisory roles, and a PhD in medicine from the University of New South Wales and the Garvan Institute, Branwen is widely recognised for her credibility, strategic judgement, and capacity to lead purpose driven organisations with clarity, accountability, and influence.
Professor Branwen Morgan said: “I am delighted to step into the role of CEO at Understanding Animal Research (UAR). One of my first non-academic roles was in the establishment of the Coalition for Medical Progress, which later merged to become UAR, so this feels like a full circle moment. I am looking forward to reconnecting with the UK’s wider health and research ecosystem, including patients, funders, researchers, animal care staff, the private sector, and policymakers, and bringing fresh ideas to how we explain why the responsible use of animals in health and medical research remains both important and necessary. Done well, it enables new medicines and technologies that improve the lives of people, their pets, and animals in agriculture, so it is vital that this work continues to be understood, trusted, and supported.”
Professor Chris Petkov, Chair of UAR Council, said: “While we will be sad to see Wendy Jarrett step down, we are very excited that Branwen will be joining UAR and we are looking forward to working with her. She helped to set up the Coalition for Medical Progress in 2003, so already understands UAR’s mission very well.”
Last edited: 9 April 2026 08:47
