Professor Diane Coyle of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy has been appointed to the ESRC’s new Council.
The Council comes into effect with the launch of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on 1 April 2018. Welcoming the announcement, Professor Jennifer Rubin, ESRC Chief Executive and Executive Chair Designate, said: “It is with great delight that we welcome members to the new ESRC Council. They will be vital to ensuring that the social sciences make their contribution within the UK research and innovation landscape, and that the ESRC contributes to shaping opportunities for social science as they emerge.”
The members of the Council will be as follows:
- Professor Diane Coyle
Bennett Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2021 - Mr Mike Emmerich
Founding Director, Metro Dynamics
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2020 - Professor Jane Falkingham
Professor of Demography and International Social Policy, University of Southampton
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2021 - Professor Matthew Flinders
Professor of Politics, University of Sheffield
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2020 - Professor Nigel Gilbert
Professor of Sociology, University of Surrey
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2020 - Professor Rachel Griffith
Professor of Economics, University of Manchester and Research Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2021 - Professor Melinda Mills
Head of Department of Sociology, University of Oxford
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2021 - Professor James Smith
Professor of African & Development Studies, University of Edinburgh
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2020 - Professor Anna Vignoles
Professor of Education and Director of Research, University of Cambridge
Term: 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2022 - Sir Christopher Wormald
Permanent Secretary, Department of Health
As part of the nine Councils of UKRI, the ESRC Council will work with Professor Rubin to deliver the ESRC’s aims and objectives and to support UKRI’s overall mission to maintain the UK’s world-leading position in research and innovation. The ESRC Council members will also provide Professor Rubin, and UKRI more widely, with input, intelligence and feedback from their communities and stakeholder groups. The Council will act as critical friends to the UKRI Councils.
The members announced today – totalling 32 people across the Councils of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council and the ESRC – reflect the diversity of communities that they represent coming from varied backgrounds and experiences including academia, business, policy, third sector and voluntary sector.
Professor Sir Mark Walport UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive Designate, commented: “I am delighted to welcome these new Council members. Their stimulus, support and challenge will provide a critical role in the development of strategy and the governance of UK Research and Innovation. The diversity of their personal backgrounds, experience and expertise will ensure that we make the very best choices in how to invest wisely in research and innovation and develop capability and capacity for the future.”
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy.