The Participant Panel

The Panel plays a vital role in ensuring the interests of participants are always at the centre of everything Genomics England does. Panel members help to guide and advise Genomics England and how genomic medicine is used in the NHS.

Anyone who has donated genomic data to Genomics England’s National Genomic Research Library (NGRL) or has had the consent conversation to do so is eligible to join the Participant Panel. This can be their own data, or on behalf of someone else, such as if they are the carer of someone who is part of the 100,000 Genomes Project, or if they are a parent of a child who has donated their data through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) or the Generation Study.

The Panel meets four times a year for a day-long session. There are usually documents to read or consider before these meetings, as well as some follow-up work afterwards. Some Panel members also sit on other committees within Genomics England and will therefore need to attend those extra meetings. Opportunities also arise to participate in working groups, although these are optional.

The Participant Panel at Genomics England is now seeking new members and a Vice-Chair for Cancer.  

If you would like to consider applying for either role, please download and read the candidate recruitment pack below.

Download the Participant Panel Member – Candidate recruitment pack

Download the Vice-Chair for Cancer – Candidate recruitment pack

There are two options via which to apply: 

• Click this link which will take you to our Open Positions page and then click on the role listing. You will come to a page where you can answer questions to submit your application. 

OR 

• Email your answers to the questions outlined under the ‘How to apply’ section in the recruitment pack to [email protected]. A member of the team will upload your answers to our recruitment system and send you a note to confirm receipt.   

We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are particularly keen to increase the diversity of candidates applying for this role. 

Applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday 8 March 2026. 

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] 

The Participant Panel was invited by the editor of the European Journal of Human Genetics to write an article about patient and participant engagement in large scale genomics projects and the lessons learned. Our article can be accessed here, though it is behind a journal paywall. If you’d like to learn more about it, please get in contact at [email protected].

Panel Chair Jillian Hastings Ward's blog post, detailing what was covered at a recent Panel meeting.

Find out more