Research
Dr Mootaz Salman announced as Group Leader at pioneering vascular dementia research centre
We are delighted to welcome new Group Leader Dr Mootaz Salman to the BHF-UK DRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research (CVDR). The £9M joint centre is the UK’s flagship investment in vascular dementia research, uniting leading researchers in the field.
Dr Salman is based at the University of Oxford and joined the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) in April 2025. His group investigates mechanisms of blood-brain barrier function and what goes wrong in neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries using patient-derived stem cells.
Wide implications
Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Mootaz to the BHF-UKDRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research as our latest group leader.
“His team’s research on the blood-brain barrier could have implications for a number of devastating neurological conditions, including vascular dementia. His expertise will be extremely valuable as the Centre works to find treatments for this devastating and poorly understood condition.”
Following a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr Salman moved to Oxford in 2020, and was awarded the Leverhulme Research Fellowship which enabled him to start his independent work as a Departmental Research Lecturer. In 2022, he launched his research group at Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG).
“Focus on collaboration, innovation and impact”
Dr Salman said: “Joining the UK DRI represents an exciting opportunity to be part of a world-leading effort to tackle the complex challenges of neurodegeneration. The strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and real-world impact aligns perfectly with my group’s mission to understand how dysfunction at the blood-brain barrier contributes to diseases like vascular dementia.
“I’m particularly excited to be part of the BHF-UK DRI CVDR, where we can bridge cardiovascular and neurological research to drive meaningful progress for patients”
Prof David Attwell, CVDR Centre Director, said: “It’s great to welcome Mootaz Salman, and his expertise on studying the blood-brain barrier, to the Centre for Vascular Dementia Research. Mootaz will join a group of seven other scientists studying diverse aspects of Vascular Dementia in this Centre, which will formally be launched this year.
“Investment by the British Heart Foundation and by the UK Dementia Research Institute in this Centre is aimed at developing an understanding of, and eventually therapies for, vascular dementia.”