Stephen was appointed as Director of the Research and Innovation Division in January 2025, having served as interim Director from October 2024, alongside his previous role of Senior Faculty Manager for the University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The Research and Innovation division (RIN), provides professional support for the University's research and innovation mission - empowering academics to deliver high-quality research and innovation.  Shaping institutional policy, upholding research integrity and cultivating high-value funder and partner relationships, RIN ensures robust governance across the full lifecycle for grants, awards and commercilisation opportunities.  The team enables intelligence-led decision making through high quality management information and provides support and oversight to key committees and frameworks such as REF and HEIF.  Located in the University's Enterprise Centre, the division also encompasses our Technology Transfer Office and Student Enterprise teams, which strive to unlock the real-world potential of academic and student innovation, taking ideas from discovery to application, protecting and commercialising intellectual property and building partnerships for societal impact, economic value and new opportunity.

Prior to joining UEA in 2016, Stephen's career spanned both strategic and operational leadership and management roles in defence, transport and Public-Private partnerships.