What we do

The research contracts team enables the academic community in the Faculty of Engineering to engage with sponsors and collaborators across the globe, including corporate partners, academia, UK and international government agencies and research councils, and charities.

We work closely with academic and professional support staff in each department to draft, review, negotiate and approve the terms of various research-related contracts.

Contracts portal

If you want to request support with a research-related contract, please use our contracts portal (accessible with your College login).

How we can help

The team negotiates equitable terms that:

  • maximise academic freedom and research income;
  • minimise risks and administrative burden; and
  • ensure the College meets its ethical, fiscal and legal obligations.

We are part of a multi-faceted system that integrates with other Faculty of Engineering functions e.g. research services (pre- and post-award), Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) (growing collaborations with industry and ensuring seamless service on the tech transfer side), and development (advancing the Faculty’s mission); and central College functions e.g. Research Office (which includes the EU team and MTA-in team), International Relations Office (development of international relationships) and Legal Department (legal counsel and advice).

We also work in conjunction with IC Consultants to ensure integration of opportunities lead by Imperial’s consultancy arm.

Contact the team

Please get in touch with us via our central email portal, monitored throughout the day, on researchcontracts.engineering@imperial.ac.uk.

You will then receive an email advising which member of the research contracts team will assist with your request.

Meet the team

  • Dimitrios Batsalas

    Personal details

    Dimitrios Batsalas Head of Contracts

    +44 (0)20 7594 5044

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Dimitris joined Imperial in April 2016.  He previously worked at Middlesex University, negotiating contracts and providing advice on Intellectual Property issues. Dimitris has an LLB from Greece (where he is a qualified lawyer since 2008) and two Masters Degrees from UCL (2014, LLM in Intellectual Property) and the University of Warwick (2008, LLM in International Development Law and Human Rights).

  • Mahesh Pillai

    Personal details

    Mahesh Pillai Contracts Manager

    +44 (0)20 7594 9789

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Mahesh joined the team in September 2018 after having worked in the Contracts Team at the University of the West of England, Bristol for two years and in various roles within the legal and claims management sector prior to that. Mahesh holds an LL.B from the University of Kerala and an LLM in Corporate Finance Law from the University of Westminster.

  • Tsedey Hailu-Darge

    Personal details

    Tsedey Hailu-Darge Contracts Manager

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Tsedey joined Imperial in September 2021 with several years of contract management experience, recently at Kaplan UK, previously at BT PLC as well as FMCG, Public Enterprise & Law Firm. She holds an LLB from the University of London, a PG Dip in Law from Middlesex University and a Certificate in Negotiation from Heriot-Watt University.

  • Daij Al Khalifa

    Personal details

    Daij Al Khalifa Contracts Negotiator

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Daij joined Imperial in 2022, having had some experience as a Paralegal. He previously worked as a Marketing and Legal Officer, providing advice related to compliance, legal disputes, internal policies, and contracts. Daij holds an LLB from the University of Manchester, an LLM from BPP London, and the Bar Professional Training Course qualification from BPP London. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2023.

  • Noemie Cavaillon-Ram

    Personal details

    Noemie Cavaillon-Ram Contracts Negotiator

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Noemie joined the team in August 2023. She worked previously as the sole Contracts Manager for London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, London. Sitting in the Business and Innovation team she worked on a range of contracts including research, collaboration, enterprise and commercial contracts. Prior to this she managed complex IT legal agreements at an IT company.

    Noemie holds a bachelor’s degree in medical Anthropology from Durham University, as well as the LPC (Legal Practice Course) qualification and Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP Law School.

  • Anna Fitz

    Personal details

    Anna Fitz Contracts Negotiator

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Anna joined Imperial in December 2022 as a Contracts Negotiator. Previously she was an associate at a Canadian law firm, where she practiced a broad cross-section of litigation. Anna received a Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Arts at McGill University. She is also fluent in French.

  • Manpreet Kaur

    Personal details

    Manpreet Kaur Contracts Negotiator

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Manpreet joined the team at Imperial in September 2022. She previously worked in the contracts team at the University of Birmingham, negotiating contracts and handling the contract administration process. Manpreet holds a Master’s degree in law and a Legal Practice Course qualification from the University of Wolverhampton. She is also fluent in Punjabi.

  • Isabella Hall

    Personal details

    Isabella Hall Contracts Negotiator

    Location

    Faculty Building, Level 2

    Bio

    Isabella joined Imperial in December 2021, working at the Imperial College Union Advice Service before joining the research contracts team in May 2023. She holds an LLB from Oxford Brookes University and an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex.