GMMH research lead receives prestigious national appointment
Research & Innovation is delighted to celebrate Professor Sandra Bucci’s appointment as a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator.
This week, NIHR announced that 43 new Senior Investigators for 2026 across England, four of which are professors from the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Senior Investigators are among the most outstanding and influential researchers funded by NIHR. They are recognised for the quality and global reach of their research. They also help mentor the next generation, strengthen research culture and embed inclusion.
Professor Sandra Bucci is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Manchester, and an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) and Co-Director of the Complex Trauma & Resilience Research Unit (C-TRU).
She co-leads the Digital Programme in the NIHR Manchester BRC’s Mental Health Theme and is the first ever NIHR Research Professor in Digital Mental Health in the UK.
Professor Sandra Bucci commented:
This NIHR Senior Investigator award will provide an important platform to advance my research in digital mental health and to strengthen the evidence base for innovative approaches that improve care for people with severe mental health problems. I hope it will support closer partnerships with service users, clinicians and services, and help drive research that delivers meaningful impact in routine practice.
Professor Bucci’s work focusses on developing digital care pathways and using technology to improve detection and treatment of severe mental health problems.
She currently leads the CONNECT research study, which is looking at whether it is possible to detect if a person with severe mental health problems is at risk of becoming unwell again by analysing data collected on their smartphone and fitness tracker.
Professor Filippo Varese, Associate Director of Research & Innovation at GMMH, said:
A huge congratulations to Sandra on this outstanding achievement. Her pioneering work in digital mental health is transforming the field and positioning Greater Manchester as a leader on the global stage.
It is fantastic to see her research shaping the future of mental health care and receiving recognition at the highest level in the UK and worldwide.
You can find out more about Professor Bucci’s and C-TRU’s research projects by visiting sites.manchester.ac.uk/ctru/. You can read more about NIHR’s Senior Investigators here.
