Appointment of 2 operational researchers as Direct Ministerial Appointments
The Minister for Courts and Legal Services has appointed Professor Pagel and Professor Utley as advisers on court efficiency and modernisation.
Terms of Reference of appointments
Role
Professor Christina Pagel and Professor Martin Utley, operational researchers, are appointed by the Minister for Courts and Legal Services as advisers on court efficiency and modernisation.
Duration
The appointments began on 21 January 2026. Professor Christina Pagel’s appointment will conclude on 21 January 2027 with the possibility of an extension. Professor Martin Utley’s appointment will conclude on 21 June 2026 with the possibility of an extension.
There is no presumption of further extension or reappointment. Any reappointment or extension of Christina’s or Martin’s role will only be made with agreement by the Minister for Courts and Legal Services.
The Minister for Courts and Legal Services can terminate either appointment at any time if Christina or Martin are guilty of any misconduct that makes them unsuitable to continue to hold this appointment; or Christina or Martin are, in the opinion of the Minister for Courts and Legal Services, unable or unfit to discharge the functions of the appointment for any other reason.
Role specification
The Minister for Courts and Legal Services is seeking advice around criminal court reform and efficiency following the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (IRCC).
The postholders will be responsible for providing expert advice personally to the Minister for Courts and Legal Services, in collaboration with other officials engaged in criminal court reform. This advice will cover efficiency and modernisation in the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts.
With this in mind the post holders need to meet the following criteria:
- extensive academic expertise and experience in Operational Research
- appropriate experience in applying Operational Research to the field of public policy
- proven ability to work collaboratively with partners across and beyond government;
- excellent problem-solving skills with a proven track record of applying Operational Research approaches to complex contexts.
The roles will be approximately 0.075 full-time equivalent (FTE). Christina’s role will initially be a 12-month fixed term appointment that could be extended. Martin’s role will initially be a 5-month fixed term appointment that could be extended.
Resources
No fee will be payable for undertaking this work.
Governance and ways of working
The sponsor for these roles will be Amy Randall, Director of the Criminal Courts and Victims Directorate. Amy Randall will meet with Christina and Martin regularly in order to ensure delivery of these Terms of Reference.
In addition to advising the Minister for Courts and Legal Services, it will be essential for Christina and Martin to work collaboratively with the key people involved in criminal court reform, including relevant permanent secretaries. In addition, as appropriate, they may engage directly with the Deputy Prime Minister.
Christina and Martin will have a regular check-in with the Minister for Courts and Legal Services to discuss progress, any insight they have gathered on modernisation and efficiency, and relevant lessons learned from experience elsewhere.
As with all such appointees, Christina and Martin will follow the 7 Principles of Public Life and adhere to the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies.
Christina and Martin will have access to relevant official and Ministerial papers, subject to the usual security clearance process. Christina and Martin will not disclose any information which is confidential in nature or which is provided in confidence, including their advice to ministers, without express ministerial agreement.
Christina and Martin are not employees of the Department. Accordingly, nothing in these terms shall be construed as, or taken to create, a contract of employment between them and the Department.
Any reasonable expenses will be covered by the Ministry of Justice, although significant expenses are not expected.
Conflict of interest
Christina and Martin will declare any conflicts of interest in the usual way for direct ministerial appointments and they will work with Amy Randall to manage any potential, actual or perceived conflicts. Christina and Martin will comply with the measures and mitigations set out by the Senior Sponsor, with support from the Propriety and Ethics Team if required.
Christina and Martin will remove themselves from the discussion or determination of matters in which they have a financial interest. In matters in which they have a non-financial interest, they will not participate in the discussion or determination of a matter where the interest might suggest a danger of bias.
Biographies
Professor Christina Pagel
Christina has a background in both mathematics and physics, with an undergraduate degree in maths and a PhD in space physics. After 3 years as a post-doctoral physicist in Boston, she made the transition into operational research applied to health care and joined the UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit (CORU) in late 2005 as a post-doctoral research fellow. In October 2018 she became Professor of Operational Research and was Director of CORU from 2017-2022. From 2013-2019, she also spent time as an honorary “researcher in residence” within the critical care units at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
From August 2016 - August 2017, Christina was a Harkness Fellow in Health Policy, based in Boston, USA.
Christina served as Vice President of the UK Operational Research (OR) Society from 2021-2025. She is President Elect of the OR Society for 2026, with her Presidential term running 2027-2029.
Christina is an elected Fellow of the Academy Medical Sciences, an Honorary Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health, and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.
Professor Martin Utley
Martin Utley is a Professor of Operational Research at UCL’s Clinical Operational Research Unit (CORU). His published work includes the development of analytical and simulation models of the flow of people through complex systems in health care, and the development of predictive models of clinical outcomes and length of stay. Martin joined UCL in 1996 with PhD in High Energy Physics from the University of Glasgow and served as Director of UCL CORU from 2007 to 2017.