David Beard is Professor of Musculoskeletal & Surgical Sciences at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) in the University of Oxford. He is also Director of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Surgical Intervention Trials Unit (SITU-NDORMS) and responsible for a portfolio of surgical and complex intervention trials, many as co-applicant and some as Chief Investigator.Current research interests include surgical clinical trials methodology, including placebo control designs, outcome measurement in MSK health, and a variety of musculoskeletal intervention studies. He is currently involved in several surgical trials and studies including those evaluating knee, hip, spine, hand and shoulder surgery, plastic surgery, ENT and work related to long duration space flight. David supervises several PhD, DPhil and MSc students within in NDORMS and NDS and is a regular examiner on behalf of the University.