CRAC director

Yolana Pringle

Deputy CEO Director of Programmes and Partnerships

Yolana joined CRAC in 2023 and led the organisation's policy functions prior to her current role as Deputy CEO / Director of Programmes and Partnerships. Yolana leads CRAC-Vitae's strategic development, identifying and driving opportunities to sustain and support the charitable mission.

Yolana has particular interests and expertise in research culture, having led major sector consultations and projects in this area, including on the Research Excellence Framework (REF) People, Culture and Environment (PCE). She currently leads teams working across multiple business functions, including research and evaluation, policy and engagement, and learning and development.

Prior to joining CRAC, Yolana was an academic, working in higher education for over 10 years. Her research focused on psychiatry and mental health, with a regional focus on eastern Africa, and resulted in a book and numerous peer-reviewed articles. This background drives Yolana's interests not only in research culture and researcher development, but in equity in research and in researcher wellbeing and mental health.

Yolana holds a DPhil in Modern History from the University of Oxford and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).