12 Influential Global Research Organisation Leaders

Research organisations shape what the world learns, funds and applies. Their leaders work across laboratories, universities, public institutions, foundations and international networks, often translating specialist knowledge into choices that affect millions of people.

This list brings together 12 current leaders from major research organisations around the world. The selection is editorial rather than a scorecard. It focuses on people whose present roles give them a clear hand in setting research direction, supporting discovery or connecting evidence with public action.

The people below are not all doing the same job. Some run research societies, some lead laboratories, some guide academies and some steward large pools of funding. That variety is the point: research influence is spread across the institutions that create knowledge and the institutions that decide how knowledge is used.

What makes a research organisation leader influential?

Influence in research is not only about personal publication records. It can come from deciding which questions receive support, building the conditions for talented people to do their best work, setting standards for evidence or helping governments make better decisions.

A useful leader also has to hold two ideas together. Research needs room for curiosity and long time horizons, while the public needs clear explanations, responsible choices and visible benefits. The leaders in this list operate somewhere inside that tension.

The leaders.

1. Thierry Dauxois

Chairman and CEO, CNRS

Thierry Dauxois leads CNRS as Chairman and CEO. The role gives Thierry Dauxois responsibility for a research organisation with a France or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

His appointment places a physicist with a research background at the centre of France's largest public research organisation. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Thierry Dauxois is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

2. Sir Peter Gluckman

President, International Science Council

Sir Peter Gluckman leads International Science Council as President. The role gives Sir Peter Gluckman responsibility for a research organisation with a New Zealand or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

His work connects scientific advice with public policy, which is central to how international research organisations influence decisions beyond universities. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Sir Peter Gluckman is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

3. Salvatore Aricò

Chief Executive Officer, International Science Council

Salvatore Aricò leads International Science Council as Chief Executive Officer. The role gives Salvatore Aricò responsibility for a research organisation with a International or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

His background includes work with major global science assessment bodies, giving him a practical view of how evidence moves between disciplines and institutions. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Salvatore Aricò is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

4. Mari Sundli Tveit

Chief Executive, Research Council of Norway

Mari Sundli Tveit leads Research Council of Norway as Chief Executive. The role gives Mari Sundli Tveit responsibility for a research organisation with a Norway or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

She operates across national funding, European research cooperation and global research governance rather than within one single laboratory. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Mari Sundli Tveit is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

5. Dr John-Arne Røttingen

Chief Executive Officer, Wellcome

Dr John-Arne Røttingen leads Wellcome as Chief Executive Officer. The role gives Dr John-Arne Røttingen responsibility for a research organisation with a United Kingdom or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

His remit sits at the intersection of research funding, public health and global science, with Wellcome using its resources to support discovery and health impact. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Dr John-Arne Røttingen is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

6. Demis Hassabis

Chairman, Google DeepMind and Chief Scientist, Google

Demis Hassabis now leads Google DeepMind as Chairman and serves as Chief Scientist for Google's parent company Alphabet, a change announced in early August 2026 as day-to-day leadership of DeepMind passed to a new senior vice president. The role still gives Demis Hassabis responsibility for the direction of a research organisation with a United Kingdom and international reach, inside the wider system that supports discovery.

He co-founded and built one of the best-known research organisations working to turn advances in artificial intelligence into systems with broad scientific and practical reach, and continues to lead the AI drug-discovery spin-out Isomorphic Labs. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Demis Hassabis is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

7. Daniela Rus

Director, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

Daniela Rus leads MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory as Director. The role gives Daniela Rus responsibility for a research organisation with a United States or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

Her leadership spans robotics, artificial intelligence and the coordination of a major university research laboratory. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Daniela Rus is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

8. Neil Shubin

President, National Academy of Sciences

Neil Shubin leads the National Academy of Sciences as President, taking up the role on 1 July 2026 after election by the Academy's membership. The role gives Neil Shubin responsibility for a research organisation with a United States or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

His career combines a professorship at the University of Chicago with the co-discovery of Tiktaalik roseae, a fossil find that reshaped understanding of the transition from fish to land animals, alongside a long record of public science writing. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Neil Shubin is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

9. Daniel Goroff

President, Social Science Research Council

Daniel Goroff leads the Social Science Research Council as President, joining the Council in mid-2026 after a long career at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The role gives Daniel Goroff responsibility for a research organisation with a United States or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

His background spans a mathematics doctorate, federal science policy roles at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation, and years shaping social-science grantmaking at the Sloan Foundation. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Daniel Goroff is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

10. Patrick Cramer

President, Max Planck Society

Patrick Cramer leads Max Planck Society as President. The role gives Patrick Cramer responsibility for a research organisation with a Germany or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

He combines an active molecular biology research identity with responsibility for the international strategy and talent pipeline of a large research society. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Patrick Cramer is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

11. Monica Bertagnolli

President, National Academy of Medicine

Monica Bertagnolli leads National Academy of Medicine as President. The role gives Monica Bertagnolli responsibility for a research organisation with a United States or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

Her leadership brings clinical research, cancer care and national health policy experience into the organisation's work on evidence and medicine. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Monica Bertagnolli is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

12. Julia Gillard

Chair, Wellcome

Julia Gillard leads Wellcome as Chair. The role gives Julia Gillard responsibility for a research organisation with a Australia or international reach, and places that leadership inside the wider system that supports discovery.

Her governance role connects international research funding with experience in public leadership, policy and large-scale institutional decision-making. For anyone trying to understand how research shapes organisations and public life, Julia Gillard is a useful person to watch because the work sits where evidence, institutions and decisions meet.

A wider view of research leadership.

The common thread across these leaders is not a single discipline or leadership style. It is the responsibility to create the conditions in which good questions can be asked, good evidence can be tested and good work can travel beyond the people who first produced it.

That is a useful lens for leaders in every sector. Strong organisations do not rely on one gifted person to carry the whole system. They build clear roles, shared language and enough trust for different kinds of contribution to work together.

If your leadership team is trying to turn expertise into clearer decisions and better teamwork, Consult Clarity helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. You can explore practical support through the leadership team alignment guide, the Working Genius implementation guide or the team offsite facilitation page.