CPC-CG Director announced as REF 2029 main panel chair for social sciences

ESRC Centre for Population Change and ESRC Connecting Generations Director Professor Jane Falkingham CBE has been announced as the Chair of Main Panel C: Social Sciences for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029.

The REF is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It is a process of expert review, carried out by sub-panels focused on subject-based units of assessment (UoAs), under the guidance of overarching main panels and advisory panels. The REF outcomes are used to inform the allocation of around £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research. It first took place in 2014 and 2021. The next exercise is planned for 2029.

The main panels provide leadership and guidance to the sub-panels that undertake the REF assessment. The chairs will also be undertaking an ambassadorial role for REF 2029 in the sector. They will work to advise on the development and delivery of the exercise, providing advice to the REF team and Steering Group. They will also play a key role in recruiting and developing the REF main panels and sub-panels, for which applications will be opening soon.

Professor Falkingham comments: “I am honoured to be invited to act as chair of Main Panel C for the forthcoming REF. The REF is an essential component of our research funding ecosystem, providing vital support for academics to pursue independent research alongside valuable insights into the health of our disciplines. I especially welcome the new emphasis on research culture in REF 2029 and look forward to working with colleagues to deliver a fair, transparent, and robust assessment for all the disciplines within Panel C.”

Professor Falkingham joins three other sector leaders in chairing the four broad REF 2029 main panels:

• Main panel A: Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Professor Louise Kenny CBE, Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Liverpool
• Main panel B: Physical Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics
Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research & Knowledge Exchange, University of Nottingham
• Main panel D: Arts and Humanities
Professor Greg Walker, Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature, University of Edinburgh

REF Director Rebecca Fairbairn said: “I am delighted to announce the REF 2029 main panel chairs with such broad experience and deep knowledge. They will be of huge value to the REF Team, the REF Steering Group and the sector as we continue to develop the exercise, and I am grateful for their enthusiasm and commitment.”

Professor Mark E. Smith, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton where Professor Falkingham is Vice-President (Engagement and International), said: “This is a wonderful recognition of Jane’s leadership and standing in this area, and an exciting opportunity for her to apply her knowledge and experience in helping to guide the REF agenda and providing guidance on such a key exercise for the sector. I am delighted Jane has been invited to take up this position and commend her commitment to the HE sector. It is great that she will be taking up this very important role.”

To find out more, visit the REF website and read the full story: ‘Chairs confirmed for the four REF 2029 main panels’.

Posted 03/12/2024 08:58