James Goodwin

Professor in the Physiology of Ageing, Loughborough University
Professor James Goodwin is the Director of Science and Research Impact at the Brain Health Network in London.

Dr Goodwin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Keele University, UK. After graduation he became a short service commissioned officer in the British Army, then afterwards spent 20 years in the Army Reserve. He was a member of the Army Reserve international shooting team and won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at national (UK) competitions. He is a graduate of Winterbourne Gunner, the Army's Defence NBC School, the School of Infantry PCBC, and the Company Commanders and Staff Course. On leaving the regular Army, he studied for a master’s in Human Biology at Loughborough and then for a PhD in Medical Science (Physiology) in Professor Sir John Tooke’s department at the University of Exeter Medical School. His area of research was the physiological effects of extreme temperatures, ageing and health. He was appointed Head of Research at the Help the Aged in 2002, Director of Research at Age UK in 2009 and then Chief Scientist until September 2018. In 2015 on the request of Lord Filkin, he was seconded to the Centre for Better Ageing.

Dr Goodwin has been a member of numerous expert bodies, including a UK Ministerial Advisory Group on Dementia Research, the UN Research Agenda for Ageing panel, a UN Digital Health Group, a WHO Advisory Group, the EC funded FUTURAGE project and in 2022 was a jury member for the French Government ANR Research Department. He presented evidence to the House of Lords Inquiry on the Scientific Aspects of Ageing (Select Committee on Science and Technology) in 2005 and 2009, and to a US Congressional hearing in 2006. In March 2014 Dr Goodwin was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) for his contribution to the impact of research on important social issues affecting older people.