Tuesday, 24 March 2026
A University of Nottingham Professor has been appointed as a Senior Investigator by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), highlighting his exceptional contribution to health and social care research.
Mike Slade, Professor of Mental Health Recovery and Social Inclusion in the School of Health Sciences at the University, is a leading researcher in the field of mental health recovery.
NIHR Senior Investigators are among the most prominent and prestigious researchers funded by the NIHR and are a recognition of outstanding leadership within the research community. They influence policy, inspire and mentor early-career researchers, and drive innovative research that improves lives.
They promote NIHR’s vision of research that improves health, care, and outcomes for all. NIHR Senior Investigators serve on funding committees and boards and provide leadership at a regional or national level. They serve as NIHR ambassadors, demonstrate research excellence, contribute to national growth, and champion the involvement of patients and communities into research.
Professor Slade leads the Recovery Research Team at the Institute of Mental Health and the University of Nottingham.
I am honoured to be appointed as an NIHR Senior Investigator. Our research spans existing innovations such as peer support work and Recovery Colleges, as well as new emerging areas such as narrative-based interventions and citizen science. Our goal is to pivot mental health services towards more recovery-oriented, rights-based and person-centred practice. I believe that this appointment reflects the increasing centrality of mental health recovery as a guiding principle for mental health systems internationally.”
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home. More news…