Dr. Chris Henshall, M.A., Ph.D., is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Relations at the University of York. He has a background in natural sciences, child development, and developmental psychology. He graduated from both Cambridge and Nottingham Universities. At the University of York, he represents the University by promoting innovation on a local, national, and international level. Previously, he worked as the Director of the Science and Engineering Base Group in the United Kingdom's Office of Science and Technology (OST), an office with a mandate to provide independent analysis of public policy issues related to science and technology to policy-makers and the public.

He is an experienced educator and researcher, having lectured part-time at the University of Maryland European Division, the University of Warwick, and the University of Southampton. Dr Henshall has a longstanding involvement in work to assess the returns on investment from research. He commissioned research and convened an international seminar on payback from health research during his time at the Department of Health and has subsequently served on steering committees for further government and charity studies and initiatives for assessing the returns from health research and from research in general. Some of Dr. Henshall's past positions include: Deputy Director of Research and Development in the Department of Health (United Kingdom), Programme Director for the Cambridge-based Health Promotion Research Trust, Principal Scientific Officer for the UK Medical Research Council and Assistant Secretary in the Research and Development Division of the Department of Health