Outgoing Director Sally Burtles and incoming Director Julie Goodley consider how they find the balance between supporting “business as usual” while adapting to continuous change in research and funding priorities and processes.
As the Lister Institute prepares for its annual meeting next week (11-12 September 2025), we also mark a significant moment of transition: after six years of dedicated service, Sally Burtles steps down as Director and hands the reins to Julie Goodley. Here, they reflect on tasks accomplished and challenges for the future—and how the Lister carefully navigates the fine balance been stability and innovation so that its community of fellows and members and can bring their best to biomedical research.
This is not a story of radical change, but of continuity, evolution and shared purpose. Enjoy this portrait of two wonderful leaders united by a deep respect for science, a passion for enabling others, and a belief in the power of collaboration.
A legacy of quiet transformation
Sally joined the Lister Institute in 2019, bringing with her a formidable background in drug development and research management. Having spent two decades at Cancer Research UK, where she helped establish the Drug Development Office, Sally was no stranger to the challenges of translating scientific discovery into real-world impact. “I loved science, but I didn’t love working in the lab,” she admits. “I wanted to be part of making science happen, not just doing it.”
At Lister, she has continued to make science happen, just this time running a small but mighty organisation with just two core staff. “You have to be a jack of all trades,” she reflects. “One day it’s cybersecurity, the next it’s investment management. You need to know what you don’t know—and get help when you need it.”
Sally didn’t arrive with a grand vision, she quietly ushered in many critical behind-the-scenes improvements that have made the Institute more resilient and efficient. When she joined, the Lister’s operations were largely manual. “I remember boxes of paper grant applications arriving at my house,” she laughs. “Now everything’s online and automated.”
From digitising the grant application process to the creation of a standard (and hefty) operating procedure for all internal systems and processes, her tenure has been marked by thoughtful evolution rather than revolution.
But you’d be wrong to think that Sally’s priorities were all flowcharts and updating documentation. She’s insightful and solves problems with flawless logic, but she’s thoughtful and kind too. Being a “people person” is essential for this role. One of her proudest moments came in 2021, when the Institute held its first in-person annual meeting after the pandemic. “People were nervous at first, but then they relaxed and had the best time. It reminded me how important our community is,” she remarks.
A passion for people and potential
Julie Goodley, the incoming Director, brings a different but complementary perspective. With a background in public health, clinical trials, research funding and most recently working as Associate Assistant Principal in a secondary school, she has spent her career nurturing talent—first in research, then in teaching, and now at the Lister.
“I’m passionate about helping people be the best version of themselves,” she says. “At the Lister, that means supporting Fellows to grow their labs, develop their ideas and connect with others who can help them thrive.
“The Lister is already doing so much right. My role is to build on that—to look at where we can do even more.”
Julie’s experience as a teacher and coach gives her a unique lens on the Institute’s work. She sees the Lister not just as a funder, but as a facilitator of relationships and ideas. “One of my priorities is to make sure that networking doesn’t just happen by chance. If two Fellows are working on similar themes, we should help them find each other.”
She’s also keen to explore how the Institute can broaden its reach—both in terms of the universities it supports and the scientific areas it funds. “There are what you might call orphan areas of research as well as underrepresented institutions that could benefit from our support. I’d love to see us build bridges there.”
Shared values, shared future
Despite their different paths, Sally and Julie share a deep admiration for the Lister community. Both speak with genuine awe about the incredible calibre—and kindness—of the Fellows, but also the impact that has arisen from the pioneering fundamental biomedical science that the Lister Prize has supported over the years.
With such a long list of auspicious members to its name, it would be easy for Directors to be starstruck. But Sally remains true to the Lister’s aim to nurture rising stars, recalling visits to Lister Prize winners, not the dinners with sirs and dames. She remembers one new Fellow’s lecture about research that had uncovered the genetic cause of a rare neurodevelopmental condition. “It wasn’t a cure, it wouldn’t change the children’s condition, but it gave families answers. That’s powerful,” she affirms.
Julie, too, is inspired by that hard-to-define feature of every Fellow: potential. “What makes the Lister special is the trust it places in people. The funding is flexible, the expectations are high, but the total belief in the individual is unwavering.”
That belief extends to the student summer research programme too, which Julie sees as a vital pipeline for future talent. “It’s such a unique opportunity for undergraduates to get hands-on experience. I’d love to see us expand it and keep those students connected to the Institute and the excellent research of our current and former Fellows,” she says.
Looking ahead
As Julie prepares to take up her post formally, she is focused on listening, learning and building on Sally’s legacy. Her early priorities include reviewing operational processes, understanding the financial landscape, and working with the Scientific Committee to identify emerging areas of research.
But she is also scanning the horizon. “I want to make sure we’re not just doing what we’ve always done,” she explains, “but asking where we can add unique value. That might mean supporting emerging fields or niches—AI and the microbiome are two great examples of where the Lister has had to adapt fast—or reaching institutions that haven’t had Lister Fellows before. I’m excited to be part of something that’s already so impactful—and to help shape what comes next.
Sally is looking forward to a new chapter too—continuing ongoing work supporting clinical trials for new drug to treat cystinosis, and also joining her husband for some long-distance walking. But she leaves with immense pride in what the Institute has achieved.
“It’s a fantastic organisation,” she says. “I’ve loved every minute. And I know it will go from strength to strength with Julie.”
The entire Lister community and its Governing Body would like to thank Sally for her direction and dedication. We wish her every success in her new projects. She will always be part of our wonderful community and we look forward to welcoming her at future annual meetings and events.
