Professor Alan Thompson appointed as Chair of the Knowledge Quarter Board

25 June 2026

Professor Alan Thompson has been appointed as the new Chair of the Knowledge Quarter, Europe’s largest innovation district.

Image of Prof Alan Thompson, Jodie Eastwood and Cllr Sabrina Francis

(L-R Prof Alan Thompson, Jodie Eastwood, Cllr Sabrina Francis)

Professor Thompson, who serves as Pro‑Provost London and Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences at University College London (UCL), assumes the role effective immediately. He brings decades of significant experience leading large, multidisciplinary research organisations and building partnerships across institutional boundaries; expertise that positions the Knowledge Quarter strongly as it grows in international significance, and as leading life sciences and AI companies increasingly choose to locate within the district.

The Knowledge Quarter is a consortium of over 80 cultural, research, scientific and academic institutions situated within a one-mile radius of King's Cross, Euston Road and Bloomsbury. The geographical cluster functions as an innovation district, housing approximately 400 research centres, 18,000 members of academic staff and over 200 million catalogued items. As one of the London Office’s 12 strategic partnerships, the Knowledge Quarter includes member organisations such as the British Library, UCL, Wellcome, the Francis Crick Institute and Google.

As Chair of the Board, Professor Thompson will provide strategic leadership and governance oversight, working alongside the executive team to champion collaboration among the consortium's partners and to represent the Knowledge Quarter to government, industry and the wider research and cultural community.

As UCL celebrates its 200th anniversary, this appointment reflects the university’s long-standing commitment to partnership, innovation and place-based impact. As a founding member of the Knowledge Quarter, UCL has played a central role in shaping the district’s development, drawing on its deep roots in Bloomsbury and its strong connections across the Euston-King’s Cross area.

Professor Alan Thompson is one of the UK's most distinguished neuroscientists and academic leaders. An internationally recognised authority on multiple sclerosis, he was the founding Dean of UCL's Faculty of Brain Sciences when it was created in 2011. Over a career spanning four decades, he helped pioneer the use of MRI to investigate the causes of disability in MS and was part of the international expert group that defined the disease's diagnostic criteria, while leading major cross-institutional research collaborations such as the UCLPartners neuroscience programme. A Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and editor-in-chief of the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, he is a past recipient of the Charcot Award, regarded as the highest international honour in MS research.

“I’m honoured to take on the role of Chair of the Knowledge Quarter Board. The Knowledge Quarter brings together one of the greatest concentrations of knowledge and expertise anywhere in the world, spanning everything from historic collections to frontier AI companies to cutting edge research and innovation. It is a place where ideas connect and collaboration thrives. As UCL, an original founding member of the KQ, marks its 200th anniversary this year, it feels a particularly meaningful moment. I look forward to working with partners across the network to strengthen these connections and support the Knowledge Quarter’s continued impact for London and beyond.”

Professor Thompson has served on the Knowledge Quarter Board since 2023 (to confirm), giving him direct insight into the partnership’s priorities and impact. In his role as Pro‑Provost London, he leads UCL’s strategic engagement across the capital, strengthening partnerships that connect the university’s research and expertise with London’s communities, institutions and policymakers.

Alongside Professor Thompson, Councillor Sabrina Francis of Camden Council has also been appointed as Deputy Chair. She is Camden's Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture and has represented Bloomsbury since 2014. A lifelong Camden resident, she began her career supporting disadvantaged young people into higher education and specialises in digital engagement. She served as Mayor of Camden in 2021–22 and received the British Empire Medal in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to the University of London. Councillor Francis’ appointment is particularly significant for UCL given Camden Council was the first Borough partner of the UCL London Office, formalised through an ongoing memorandum of understanding that was signed in 2020.

Image of Prof Alan Thompson and Cllr Sabrina Francis

Professor Thompson stands alongside Cllr Sabrina Francis from Camden Council in their new roles of Chair and Deputy Chair.

Jodie Eastwood, CEO of the Knowledge Quarter said: "We are delighted to be working with two such outstanding and high-profile figures as our Chair and Deputy Chair. In Professor Thompson and Sabrina Francis, the Knowledge Quarter has two leaders who understand both the breadth of what this district represents and its importance to the communities around it. We could not ask for two better people to represent the Knowledge Quarter, and we're excited for this next chapter."

An independent Elsevier study commissioned by UCL in 2024, assessing the research and innovation performance of the KQ, found that the district and UCL ranked top for collaboration with non-governmental organisations, with lower-middle-income countries, and for collaboration within the district itself. The KQ and UCL also ranked first for the open-access availability of their publications, the thematic relevance of their research to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), and gender equality in authorship. The study further found that early-career researchers trained within the KQ went on to perform 66% above the expected world level and 25% above the UK level.

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