Meet the team

Rebecca is a Consultant Clinical Scientist in Haematology and Professor, Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge. She is responsible for the preclinical and clinical evaluation of current and novel blood components, leading to major changes to how blood for transfusion is produced, stored, and monitored in England. She has led numerous research projects that have subsequently been translated into routine practice in the NHS and has made significant contributions to setting national guidelines/policy as Chair of the UK Standing Advisory Committee on Blood Components for 7 years and Deputy Director for the UK Joint Professional Advisory Committee for 6 years. She is a Consultant Civilian Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence. She has published over 100 papers on haemostasis and transfusion, and she is the elected president of BEST Collaborative (Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion 2023-2026), an international collaborative of blood providers, industry, and academic experts. Rebecca has been responsible for growing Component Development into the internationally recognised department that it is today.

Mike joined Component Development in 2003 as a scientist having previously completed a PhD and post doc in medical microbiology at the University of Sheffield. After more than 10 years as the Component Development Laboratory (CDL) manager, Mike became the Head of Component Development in July 2025. Mike has extensive experience in many aspects of blood component collection, manufacture and storage, having led or supervised on all blood components. Mike is responsible for the management and delivery of CDL’s programme of Research and Development, overseeing the operational aspects of projects, including ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines. Mike is an author on numerous peer-reviewed publications and is currently the Chair of the BBTS Components SIG.

Melanie joined Component Development in 2019 and currently leads the Translational Projects section, including the Universal Components programme. She began her career as a molecular biologist, completing a DPhil in Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. Melanie has 10 years of experience leading pre-clinical drug discovery programmes at GlaxoSmithKline and more than 5 years delivering product development projects at Abcam. She is a PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile practitioner, a full member of the Association for Project Management (the chartered body for the project profession) and an author on several peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Transfusion, Vox Sanguinis, J. Neurochemistry and J. Neuroscience.

Rachel joined NHS Blood and Transplant’s Non-Clinical Issue function in early 2024, leading the Non-Clinical Issue department. Previously Rachel worked for 19 years at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and has an extensive background in Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Quality Management. Rachel holds a First-Class Honours degree in Biomedical Science and MScs in Haematology and Business Administration.

Find out more about our Non-Clinical Issue Team 

Ruth joined NHS Blood and Transplant in 2015 as Programme Manager for RESTORE, a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial of laboratory-grown red blood cells. She currently leads a programme assessing the feasibility of developing an umbilical cord blood–derived red cell product for transfusion in preterm neonates. Ruth’s interest in blood cell biology began with a PhD on neutrophils from the University of Bristol. Prior to joining NHSBT, she held senior research management roles within the NIHR Clinical Research Network in the South West and West of England.

Lucy joined NHSBT in 2009, she worked in Manufacturing as a supervisor before joining Component Development in 2010. Lucy completed the specialist certificate in transfusion science practice in 2012. She has led multiple plasma and cryoprecipitate studies, leading to a change / improvement in practice within manufacturing and hospitals. In recent years she has led the laboratory study of the dried plasma project, which has been accepted for publication. Lucy is first author on multiple peer-reviewed publications in Transfusion and Vox Sanguinis.

Richard joined Component Development in 2015, having previously been a Senior Research Associate at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, where he researched the blood transfusion-associated transmission of prion diseases. Since joining, Richard’s focus has been on developing novel, quality monitoring parameters for blood components. More recently, Richard has been the Component Development Laboratory (CDL) lead on the validation of novel nDEHP blood packs and the production and validation of apheresis platelets in additive solution. Richard has authored several publications including peer reviewed papers in PLoS Biology and Transfusion.

Sophie studied Microbiology at the University of Reading and has experience of working in clinical blood science laboratories. Before joining Component Development in 2022, she worked as a Biomedical Scientist in haematology and blood transfusion. She has been involved in various Component Development Laboratory (CDL) projects involving red cells and plasma and is currently working on validating a new platelet component.

Vivian joined NHS Blood and Transplant in 2004 and has over 22 years of experience in haematology, leukaemia and translational research. Her work has included CMV-specific T-cell immunotherapies, ex vivo expansion of haematopoietic progenitor cells for clinical use and research into leukaemia stem cell biology and immunotherapeutic approaches to haematological malignancies. Since joining Component Development in 2022, she has contributed to the Universal Component Programme. As Assistant Manager of Component Development Laboratory (CDL) Bristol, she supports laboratory operations, scientific delivery and team development.

Hanna leads delivery of a key translational research work package in partnership with industry collaborators and NHSBT researchers. Her work focuses on evaluating novel technologies for ABO antibody removal and assessing blood component quality. She brings over a decade of biotechnology leadership experience from Astrea Bioseparations and Abcam, where she specialised in viral vector and antibody production process development, quality improvement, and reproducibility initiatives. Hanna completed her PhD in Molecular Biology at Imperial College London and has a strong postdoctoral background in viral vector design, immunology, and vaccine research.

Ifeoma joined Component Development in 2025 as an SHTO, and in 2026 moved to a Development Manufacturing Team Leader role. She holds an MSc with distinction in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology and a BSc in Biochemistry. She has a background in translational research, with a focus on understanding disease mechanisms and the evaluation of bioactive compounds using laboratory and molecular techniques. Prior to joining NHSBT, she gained early research experience as a research intern and subsequently worked as a microbiologist at Eurofins Scientific before joining NHSBT within the Hospital Services department. Ifeoma supports laboratory development and innovation projects in blood components, contributing technical, quality, and research expertise in GLP and GMP-aligned environments.

Nina is a Senior Lead Nurse, trained as a level one Registered Nurse originally specialising in liver and kidney transplantation. Since 2002 she has worked in clinical research. Nina has led many clinical research projects, working for NHSBT and University of Cambridge for 15 years, joining Component Development in 2016. Her previous studies include a clinical study examining whether variation in platelet activity in blood donors affects clinical outcomes from platelet transfusion. She is currently the clinical lead for a phase one trial assessing red cells grown in the laboratory and in addition is the clinical lead for a specific-consent project for blood donors.

Sean joined Component Development (CD) in 2024 on secondment. He has a background as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Immunology and Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics (H&I), and more recently as a team manager in the Donation Testing Laboratory. Sean holds a BSc in Applied Biomedical Science from the University of the West of England and an MSc in Transplantation and Transfusion Science from the University of Bristol. At CD, he evaluated the sustainability of blood component manufacturing and contributes to key projects including SHAPE, Dried Plasma, and the Universal Components programme.

Sian joined Component Development in 2014 following completion of a PhD in haemostasis. She specialises in the evaluation and development of blood components for the management of major haemorrhage and trauma. Sian has led projects spanning never-frozen plasma, prehospital whole blood, and novel plasma processing technologies. She currently leads the UK spray-dried plasma programme, a collaborative NHSBT, academic and defence initiative developing a rapidly deployable plasma product for military and civilian emergency care. Sian is an author on multiple peer-reviewed publications, including papers in Transfusion, Vox Sanguinis, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and BMJ Military Health.

Jenny joined Component Development (CD) in 2015, following her role as a Research Assistant to Professor Willem Ouwehand at the University of Cambridge. She holds a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham. During her time in CD, Jenny has made significant contributions to a wide range of projects, including research on the rejuvenation of red blood cells and comparative studies on red cell storage in different additive solutions. She also led the reintroduction and validation of granulocyte functionality assays within CD, which were subsequently implemented in a study focused on validating storage bags for granulocytes.

Surya joined Component Development (CD) in 2024 and is based in Cambridge. She completed a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in 2018 investigating a microfluidic vascular model to examine mechanisms driving megakaryocyte maturation and platelet release in vitro. At CD, she is involved in NHSBT projects to assess new parameters of platelet quality, validation of reduced dose platelet components, and automated processing of whole blood using n-DEHP blood packs.

Lew joined NHSBT in 2019 after working in Hospital Services and Blood Processing with the Polish Blood Services. He completed an MSc in Biotechnology at the University of Warmia and Mazury. He has a background in blood processing and laboratory coordination. As a specialist, he has worked on multiple platelet and plasma projects, predominantly on red cell initiatives including frozen and thawed RCC for the Mali Blood Bank, thawed and washed RCC in AS-3, and hypoxic RCC storage. In recent years, he has supported a clinical trial involving HSPCs derived red cells and led laboratory work for component validations, including IBP1 and N-DEHP stored red cells.

Tosti joined NHS Blood and Transplant in 2001, following completion of his PhD at the University of Bristol. He has over 20 years of extensive experience across all aspects of red cell biology, including red cell antigens and erythropoiesis, gained through work on numerous research projects led by Professor David Anstee. In recognition of his contributions, he received the Race and Sanger Award from the British Blood Transfusion Society in 2005. Since late 2021, his role has been split between the Universal Components Programme in Component Development and the Blood Group Discovery project at the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL).

Athina joined Component Development in 2012, having previously completed a PhD and post doc in vascular biology at UCL and Imperial College. Athina has led several studies in relation to the in vitro quality of blood components, with the work focused on the operational improvement of the blood service. More recently she is working on the CARED study focusing on the cold-storage-induced cation-leaky condition Familia Pseudohyperkalaemia (FP). She is also leading a project on automated processing of whole blood using non-DEHP blood packs. Athina is an author of over 10 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Blood, Transplantation, Transfusion, and Vox Sanguinis.

Azhar joined Component Development in 2023, bringing strong experience in transfusion medicine from roles as a Senior Biomedical Scientist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Transfusion Lead at Spire Hospital. With a degree in Biomedical Science and a Specialist Certificate in Transfusion Science Practice, Azhar combines technical expertise with leadership. Azhar contributes to the CARED project, researching Familial Pseudohyperkalemia to support safer transfusion practices, particularly for vulnerable patients such as infants and neonates.

Kasia joined Component Development (CD) in 2023, following clinical roles as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Haematology and Transfusion Deputy Lead at Spire Hospital. She holds a first-class degree in Biomedical Science and the Specialist Certificate in Transfusion Science Practice (Distinction). At CD, Kasia has contributed to the Apian project, investigating the impact of drone transportation on red blood cell quality, and now works on the Dried Plasma project, which aims to enable rapid, point-of-care transfusion in emergency and pre-hospital settings. More recently, she has taken on the Health, Safety and Wellbeing role, representing CD and promoting wellbeing within the department.

Sonal joined the NHS Blood and Transplant Component Development team in 2024. Prior to this, she worked as a Senior Scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, where she performed clinical pathology assays for drug safety evaluation studies across multi-species samples. Her work included biomarker validation and collaboration across multiple therapeutic areas, including hepatology, immunology, and respiratory diseases. Since joining NHSBT, Sonal has contributed to the validation of non-DEHP blood pack offerings available on the market, assessing their suitability for clinical use.

Sue joined NHSBT in 1990 after working as a Biomedical Scientist at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She worked in Donation Testing as a team manager before joining Component Development in 2010. Sue completed an MSc in Biomedical Science at Greenwich University in 2012. She has worked on several red cell and platelet projects and led studies looking at washed red cells and novel red cell additive solutions. More recently she has worked on platelet projects including a large project on pathogen inactivation of platelets, development of a reduced dose component and developing and validating apheresis platelets in additive solution.

Bruntha joined Component Development (CD) on secondment in September 2025 and has worked within the NHS since 2013. She is an experienced healthcare scientist with a strong background in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics and holds a BSc degree in Molecular Medicine. Prior to joining CD, Bruntha worked as a Trainee Clinical Scientist in Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics at NHSBT Colindale, building on more than a decade of laboratory experience across immunology, blood sciences and clinical research settings. Since joining the department, she has contributed to the Universal Components project, investigating the removal of ABO antibodies from plasma and pooled platelet components.

Peter joined Component Development from the University of Cambridge in 2014. He has led projects to understand factors affecting the quality of platelets (collection, transport, additive solutions and pathogen reduction) and red cells (rejuvenation, hypoxia, additive solutions). Peter seeks to engage with researchers developing methods applicable to blood component storage and monitoring. This was exemplified most recently by a collaboration with Oxford Professor Pawel Swietach, to develop a novel marker of red cell quality – Flowscore.

Sabine joined Component Development in 2022, following previous roles at the Bristol Institute of Transfusion Sciences, NHSBT Filton, Bristol. Her expertise lies in the culture of red blood cells from haematopoietic stem cells, where she played a key role in developing the manufacturing process for the RESTORE clinical trial. More recently, Sabine has focused on enumerating residual proliferating T cells following irradiation of red cell units and on supporting the Non-Clinical Issue team in delivering a service supplying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to customers. She is currently supporting the manufacture of a cord blood-derived red cell component for preterm neonatal use.

Jannete joined Component Development in 2016 as a Research Scientist based in Filton, Bristol. She completed her PhD at the University of Bristol in 2022, focusing on extending the storage stability of cultured red blood cells and studying variant hereditary stomatocytic red cells, providing evidence for a staged mechanism of reticulocyte maturation. She is currently involved in developing a neonatal blood component derived from cord blood and contributes to the CARED study on familial pseudohyperkalaemia (FP). In 2024, she received the Race and Sanger Award from the British Blood Transfusion Society.

Daniela joined Component Development (CD) in 2021 after working as an intensive care nurse both at the Royal Free Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She holds an MSc from the University of Glasgow. Since joining CD, Daniela has contributed to the Restore project, a pioneering phase 1 clinical trial assessing whether laboratory-grown red blood cells can survive longer in the body than standard donor blood. In addition, Daniela is currently working on the Specific Consent project.

Amie joined Component Development in March 2026. She brings 14 years of postdoctoral research experience from the Universities of Cambridge and Reading, where she investigated platelet biology including platelet signalling, neonatal platelet function, and megakaryocyte-derived platelet production. Amie is currently leading the development of a major multi-partner national research grant application in novel blood components. She is an author on numerous peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals.

Ian joined Component Development (CD) in July 2025 on secondment, bringing 38 years’ experience with NHSBT and its predecessor organisations. His career has included roles in the Reference Laboratory, Donation Testing, Reagents, and 15 years as a Manufacturing supervisor at Brentwood Transfusion Centre. From 2011 to 2025, he served as Hospital Service Manager in Cambridge, where his team supported CD by supplying blood and blood products for multiple projects. Ian holds a BSc in Biomedical Science (UWE) and completed the FIBMS qualification. He contributes extensive supervisory and management expertise to support BSQR compliance in the newly established Dried Plasma Laboratory.

Matt joined Component Development (CD) in 2024 to undertake his PhD. He qualified as doctor in 2013 (Birmingham, UK), subsequently specializing in Anaesthesia. He completed an MSc in Trauma Sciences (QMUL, UK) in 2023 and has over a decade of experience in the Army Reserves, including an Operational Tour of Afghanistan. Since joining CD, Matt has been working alongside the Dried Plasma team, specifically investigating real-world military storage validation, advanced haemostasis assays, and clinical assessment of novel blood components.

Rebecca joined Component Development in 2023, following a career with the Scientific and Technical Development team within NHS Blood and Transplant. She brings extensive experience in blood production facilities and has supported the development of novel blood products for use in clinical trials. Rebecca first joined NHSBT in 2009 and is currently seconded to Component Development to support the establishment of a manufacturing process for dried plasma for a clinical study.

Ellie joined Component Development in 2026 to support delivery of translational research programmes across the NHS Blood and Transplant pipeline. She works closely with programme leads to coordinate projects and help support work from R&D through to early clinical stages. She completed her PhD at Cancer Research UK, University of Cambridge, focusing on combining anti-vascular agents with radiotherapy. Ellie has a background in pharmacology, vascular imaging and translational research, with experience as a research associate in Cambridge and several peer-reviewed publications, including in British Journal of Cancer and Journal of Biomedical Optics.

Katherine joined Component Development (CD) in January 2026 as Quality Project support for the dried plasma project. She has previously worked in Leeds as a Biomedical Scientist in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (H&I) and as the operational lead for Clinical and Transplant Immunology. She has a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from Kings College London, an MSc in Pathological Sciences from Sheffield Hallam and a foundation degree in Business Management from Leeds City College. She is supporting projects across CD around quality and regulatory requirements.

Alex joined Component Development (CD) in 2025. She previously worked in NHSBT’s Statistics and Clinical Research team, including time as a statistician in the Clinical Trials Unit. She holds an MSc in Medical Statistics from the University of Leicester and an MPhil in Statistics from the University of Bath. At CD, Alex provides general statistical support and contributes to translational projects, including the Universal Components and Dried Plasma programmes.

Catherine joined Component Development in 2020 as Personal Assistant to Rebecca Cardigan and Mike Wiltshire, having held PA and administrative roles in public sector and NHS organisations, including community, mental health and hospital trusts. In 2022 Catherine became Business Manager for Component Development and now manages business administration across the department, including website lead, records management, office management, financials, event management and PA to Mike Wiltshire, Head of Component Development.

Dani joined Component Development in 2023, having spent the majority of her career in the private sector, primarily within the oil industry. She brings a wealth of organisational expertise and operational experience, supporting the smooth and efficient running of the department. In her role, Danielle provides administrative and PA support, coordinating a wide range of essential functions. These include auditing controlled document training records, overseeing stationery and catering orders, organising meeting rooms, and coordinating departmental and Blood Centre activities such as Lunch and Learn sessions. She also plays a key role in communication, ensuring the team are kept informed of upcoming events, meetings, and staff gatherings.

Tinu joined Component Development on secondment in September 2024 from Blood Donations at NHSBT and now works as a Translational Research Project Support Officer. Tinu supports research initiatives within the Translational Research team, contributing to programmes such as the Dried Plasma and Universal Component projects. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, an MSc in Psychology, an MBA, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Before joining NHSBT, Tinu worked in relationship management, client engagement, marketing, and project coordination roles within the financial services and real estate development sectors. Tinu later gained clinical donor care experience within NHSBT before joining the Translational Research team.

Jackie joined NHS Blood & Transplant in 2006, initially as a temporary member of staff supporting the Scientific Laboratory team in Bristol, before taking up a permanent role in 2010. As part of her role, she provides comprehensive administrative support to the Component Development Laboratory (CDL) Bristol team, including coordination of laboratory equipment, diary management, travel and accommodation arrangements, and procurement and finance processes. Jackie is proud to be part of the team and has, over several years, greatly valued her involvement in the RESTORE Clinical Trial - a first-in-human Phase I study of laboratory-grown red blood cells.

Subashree joined Component Development (CD) in 2026, having previously worked as a Healthcare Technical Officer at NHSBT Colindale. She began her career in India after her bachelor’s degree, working as a Research Associate in a Contract Research Organisation before progressing to a Scientist role in a GMP-regulated IVD manufacturing organisation. There, she was involved in the development, validation, and manufacture of various IVD kits, including an indirect ELISA kit for COVID-19. Her experience in research, diagnostics, and assay development encouraged her to pursue further study and she completed a master's degree in biomedical science at Swansea University, UK. At CD she supports projects including REVEOS and Red Cells in Plasma, while also contributing to the smooth running of the laboratory through stock management, consumable ordering, and day-to-day laboratory support.

Hardeep joined the Component Development (CD) team in 2020, bringing prior leadership experience from his role as a Team Leader at ALS Pharmaceuticals. He holds a degree in Biomedical Science and is responsible for the management of the Environmental Monitoring System, site assets, and document review processes within CD. He is currently leading validation activities for laboratories and equipment. In addition, Hardeep provides key operational support for the management of processes and assets across other NHSBT R&D groups based at the Cambridge site.

Sophie joined NHSBT in 2022. Her previous roles in administration included working in the adult social care sector, software development and finance. Sophie joined NHSBT initially as a Donor Carer in the Cambridge clinic before returning to an administrative role in 2025 as Personal Assistant to Rebecca Cardigan, Director of Blood Component Research & Development. Alongside her position in Component Development, she is currently studying for a part time degree in Criminology and Psychology with the Open University.

After earning a degree in Microbiology, Steve spent 10 years in clinical virology, during which time he gained an MSc in Pathological Studies, before joining the NHSBT Quality Assurance (QA) team in 1999. Progressing to national QA roles, he was appointed Lead Quality Specialist for Component Development in 2022, where he is the regulatory lead for translational projects like Dried Plasma. An international expert, Steve chairs the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) Blood Quality Management Working Group. He also serves as a Quality Representative on the NHSBT Therapeutic Products Safety Group and the UK Standing Advisory Committee on Blood Components.