Professor Nelson is a nurse researcher with expertise in the evaluation of health technologies to prevent or treat chronic wounds and their complications. After studying Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, and Adult Nursing at Kings College, London, she completed a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Strathclyde.
Her clinical research roles in London and Scotland were followed by academic and research roles at the Universities of Liverpool, York and Leeds. She has contributed to education in wound care, skin integrity, and research methods for evaluating interventions, as well as numerous UK initiatives to improve wound care outcomes.
She was coordinator, author and editor of the Cochrane Wounds Group. Much of her research has been funded through the NHS National Institutes of Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR-HTA), where she served as deputy Chair of the External Devices and Physical Therapies Panel, and on the Health Technology Assessment Commissioning Board.
Since 2021 she has been Pro Vice-Chancellor Research at Glasgow Caledonian University. As Executive lead for the Research and Innovation portfolio, she oversees the Yunus Centre, and the full range of research and researcher support for the University.