Independent Research Ethics Committee membership

The role of the Research Ethics Committees (RECs) is to undertake the ethical review of research involving human participants. Our independent lay members are invaluable in enhancing the review process for these applications, and are a requirement of funders and regulators.

Research ethics is one of the most rewarding parts of university research, and you are often dealing with pioneering, complex research that is seeking to make a difference.

Independent Members do not need to have specific knowledge of a particular area of research. There are academic members on the Research Ethics Committees that provide subject matter expertise. As non-academic members, independent members provide an outside voice to the research ethics review process, which is important in achieving an objective and impartial process.

We are currently recruiting for this role, and if you are interested in becoming an independent member of one of our Research Ethics Committees, or if you have any questions, then please get in touch at research-ethics@bristol.ac.uk.

More information on the role and responsibilities of an REC Independent Member can be found in this document: REC based role descriptions (PDF, 103kB)