Sam McGregor is Deputy Director of Smart Data Research UK, a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) data infrastructure programme hosted by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Her career has spanned almost 20 years of shaping major public investment in research, innovation, and data infrastructure to address our most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges.

Since joining SDR UK in 2024, Sam has provided strategic leadership for the programme’s delivery, strengthening alignment across delivery partners and positioning in the wider landscape. She oversees efforts to enhance the experience of researchers in finding, accessing and using smart data, and grow a more capable and connected community of smart data researchers. She also plays a key role in developing SDR UK’s medium- and long-term strategy, ensuring that the programme’s future direction is evidence-led.

Her contributions to the wider research and policy ecosystem include helping to align on access and use of data to understand, prevent, and treat gambling-related harms through her role as UKRI Data Champion for the Statutory Gambling Levy and chair of the UKRI-led Gambling Data Working Group. As ESRC’s Head of Data & Infrastructure, she previously led major investments including the UK Data Service (UKDS) and Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC), and also played a pivotal role in establishing ADR UK – working closely with the Office for National Statistics and devolved administrations to shape the delivery model and secure funding for a sustainable, impactful national capability.

Sam’s past career has included roles in AHRC, where she led strategy and programmes in Responsible AI, Design for the Green Transition, and the commercialisation of arts and humanities research, and at The Alan Turing Institute, where she was part of the founding team helping to establish the Institute’s first research strategy and supporting cross‑disciplinary data science collaboration.

"Having led the business case for establishing ADR UK in 2018, being asked to return as an ambassador feels like coming full circle! The foundations laid by team have enabled so much already, helping researchers to address real-world challenges, supporting better decision-making, and growing a confident, connected community of admin data users. From my position in ADR UK's sister programme, I'm excited by the opportunities that lie ahead for deepening impact and public benefit as part of a joined-up and forward-looking research data ecosystem. ADR UK is a vital national capability, and I'm proud to support its continued evolution and ambition."