Dr Gemma Clunie

Dr Gemma Clunie is an Honorary Clinical Research Fellow in the Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London. She currently holds a five-year NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (SCPRA) fellowship. In 2024 she won a Surgery & Cancer Seedfund grant to complete a pilot study exploring the use of quantitative muscle ultrasound in head and neck cancer patients. In December 2024 she won the Early Career Researcher Award for Surgery and Cancer.
 
Gemma received her undergraduate degree in English Literature (BA (Hon)) from Durham University in 2002. She went on to receive an MSc in Speech and Language Sciences with distinction from University College London in 2006. She completed her NIHR funded Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship in 2022.
 
Since the beginning of 2025, Gemma has been the Lead Clinical Academic for AHPs (SLT) at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. This role involves research capacity and capability building for AHPs at the Trust and within Imperial College, as well as teaching, mentoring and supporting AHPs across the AHSC onto a clinical academic career pathway. She serves on the Imperial Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO) Executive. She is the Chair of the Community for AHP Research (CAHPR) Strategy Committee. Her clinical and research interests include head and neck cancer, benign ENT disorders, including laryngotracheal stenosis, respiratory disorders and critical care.