Chaitali Desai

University of Bristol

Chaitali is the Head of Research Compliance at the University of Bristol. She is a qualified solicitor with over 16 years’ experience in the private legal sector, before joining the HEI sector in 2021. She began her career in higher education as a team of one just as the sector was waking up to the impact of expanding national security regulation, developing widespread awareness, training, and understanding of how partner engagement and research collaboration can be safeguarded in a shifting geopolitical landscape. She has designed and developed process and policy in a heretofore unknown area at the University and secured growth of the team to eleven members by 2025, expanding the scope of expertise they can provide. The Team is responsible for advising senior management and academics across the breadth of the institution in relation to the application of Export Control Regulations, the National Security & Investment Act, the Nagoya Protocol and ABS legislation, UK Subsidy Control, the Trusted Research agenda, and the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. Chaitali is currently leading a sector advisory group to create sector-wide Trusted Research and research security training for HEIs.