Sir Arnold Burgen. Burgen had an interest in nuclear magnetic resonance techniques and formed the MRC Biomedical NMR Centre at the institute in 1980. Sir Dai Rees became director in 1982 to be replaced by Sir John Skehel in 1987. 2000 to present In 2003, as part of their Forward Investment Strategy, the MRC announced plans to consider moving NIMR from its location in Mill Hill to a university/medical school site, to enhance its ability "to translate its biomedical research into practical health outcomes." University College London was selected as a preferred partner institution, and a nearby site in central London was acquired. Some staff at the NIMR, including Robin Lovell-Badge and Skehel, expressed opposition to a move. In response to accusations of "coercion" during the review process, a House of Commons select committee investigation criticised both the MRC for losing the confidence of NIMR workers, and unnamed NIMR staff for "undermining [Colin] Blakemore's position as MRC chief executive." In September 2006, Skehel retired as NIMR director and Sir Keith Peters became acting director until the future structure of the new institute could be finalised. In July of that year the MRC announced that Scott Fraser of the California Institute of Technology had been invited to take over the directorship. According to Blakemore, negotiations were ongoing as of December 2006. However, finally, in October 2008, Jim Smith of the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge (who worked at the NIMR from 1984 to 2000), accepted the directorship, with effect from January 2009. On 1 April 2015, the NIMR became part of the new Francis Crick Institute and ceased to exist as a separate MRC institute. The site at Mill Hill was fully vacated and closed for redevelopment during 2017. In 2018 demolition of the building began, to make way for new homes. Activities Mill Hill Essays A yearly collection of essays is produced by guest authors and staff at the institute, under the title Mill Hill Essays. They are written to be accessible and informative to the lay reader. Notable staff Gordon Ada AO FAA (1922–2012), Australian biochemist Rudolf K. Allemann, Swiss biological chemist Brigitte Askonas FMedSci FRS, (1923–2013), immunologist Brigid Balfour (1914–1994), immunologist Frank Hawking OX (1940–1970) parasitologist Rosa Beddington FRS (1956–2001), developmental biologist Hilda Bruce (1903–1974), zoologist, discoverer of the Bruce effect Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet (1899–1985), Australian virologist and immunologist, 1960 Nobel Prize for predicting acquired immune tolerance