Professor Marian Knight
Professor Marian Knight is Director of Programme Grants for Applied Research and serves on the NIHR Board as Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure.
Marian is Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit of the University of Oxford, and an Honorary Consultant in Public Health with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
Marian has previously been Programme Director for the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Programme and Chair of the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme Commissioning Committee, NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research subcommittee D, and the RfPB Regional Advisory Committee South Central. She was awarded one of the first NIHR Research Professorships in 2012 and was appointed to her personal Chair in Oxford in 2014.
Marian's research work focuses on using national observational studies to address clinical questions concerning rare and severe complications of pregnancy and early life, and actions to reduce disparities in pregnancy outcomes for women and babies.
Marian obtained her first degree in Medical Sciences in Cambridge and completed her medical training at the University of Edinburgh. She became a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and a Research Lecturer in 2006 at the University of Oxford. She is an NIHR Senior Investigator and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. She was appointed MBE in the Kings New Year honours in 2023 for services to maternal and public health.