We are delighted that Times Higher Education’s chief data officer, Duncan Ross, has been recognised with a Highly Commended Award as a Data Leader of the Year in the British Data Awards 2024. Times Higher Education attended last night’s awards ceremony at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London and was a finalist in four categories.
Duncan Ross, a visionary in the field of data utilisation for educational and not-for-profit sectors, has made remarkable strides in harnessing the power of data to drive social change. Receiving this Highly Commended Award as a Data Leader of the Year is a testament to Duncan’s continued drive and commitment towards excellence in the development of data and actionable insights derived from them in the space of higher education. At Times Higher Education the data and insights within our global platform are used by a wide variety of organisations to guide and advance their strategic objectives and support excellence. Times Higher Education combines high quality data with sector expertise to power insights, consulting and bespoke solutions to nurture sustainable development and success.
In 2015, Duncan took on the role of chief data officer at Times Higher Education, where he embarked on a mission to evolve the company's focus from media to data. His tenure has seen the evolution of the World University Rankings, to cover 1,906 universities across 108 countries and regions, analysing more than 134 million citations across 16.5 research publications and survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally.
Duncan was then instrumental in the creation of the Impact Rankings in 2019. These rankings, a pioneering initiative under his guidance, were designed to incentivise universities to act as social champions. Grounded in the 17 United Nation’s SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), the Impact Rankings offer a comprehensive evaluation of universities' contributions to society, spanning research, teaching, stewardship, and outreach. This innovative approach marked a significant departure from traditional metrics, offering a more equitable and holistic view of global university excellence.
The Impact Rankings have grown to cover 2,152 institutions, reflecting a broad and more diverse global representation of excellence in global higher education. The rankings have not only prompted universities to enhance their data collection methods but have also motivated them to realign their strategies to address the global challenges of sustainability and climate change.
Duncan is also involved in the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainability’s Higher Education Sustainability Initiative, where he co-chairs the group on Rankings, Ratings, and Assessments, underscoring his status as a thought leader in sustainability in higher education. Furthermore, his leadership in the data chapter of UNHCR’s 15by30 report showcases his commitment to addressing the educational needs of refugee students.
Prior to joining THE, Duncan was one of the founders of DataKind UK, a not-for-profit that supports the work of UK charities through the effective use of data.
Duncan Ross, chief data officer said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive a Highly Commended Award for Data Leader of the Year in the British Data Awards and this is a huge personal honour. However, all of this would not be possible without the work of the data team who all continually strive to evolve the power of data and insights at Times Higher Education."
Jason Johnson, co-founder of Predatech and a British Data Awards 2024 judge said: “With 42% more entries received this year compared to 2023, being named a Winner or Highly Commended really is a huge achievement. All our Finalists are flying the flag for the UK’s data ecosystem and should be very proud to be recognised for their data success stories on a national stage.”
The British Data Awards is now in its fourth year and the organisations taking part ranged from FTSE 100, public sector, technology unicorns, fast-growing scale-ups, not-for-profits, and everything in between. They represent the very best of the UK data community. A record 321 nominations were submitted for the fourth edition of the British Data Awards.
The full list of winners is here.
THE was also a finalist in a further three categories in the British Data Awards 2024 which included:
- Climate Change Initiative of the Year – for THE’s pioneering Impact Rankings, which support universities' work towards delivering all of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, including of course SDG 13 - climate action.
- Data for Good Initiative of the Year – for the ground-breaking Sub-Saharan Africa Rankings, developed in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to provide a unique set of performance metrics and an evaluation framework specifically designed to meet the needs of African universities south of the Sahara and the goals of Vision 2063.
- Data Team of the Year a new category introduced for the first time in 2024 to reflect team recognition.