Frances Rawle read Biochemistry at St Anne’s College Oxford followed by a PhD in Immunology at the University of London. After postdoctoral research posts at the ICRF Human Tumour Immunology Unit in London and at Emory University in Atlanta she joined the Medical Research Council as a programme manager for AIDS research.

She retired from the MRC in 2021 after almost thirty years, having had a variety of roles including Strategic Programmes Manager (when she led for the MRC in planning and setting up UK Biobank), Head of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Head of Corporate Governance and Policy, and most recently Director of Policy, Ethics and Governance. She has a longstanding interest in research integrity, reproducibility and ethics. From 2018 to 2021 Frances was a Board member of Health Data Research UK and of the National Centre for the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). She currently works part-time as an independent consultant and is Chair of Governors at her local primary school.