Research Excellence Framework main panel chairs named

Four senior academics have been appointed to chair the main disciplinary panels for the UK’s next Research Excellence Framework.

The chairs – all drawn from Russell Group institutions – will provide leadership and guidance to the sub-panels that undertake REF assessments. They will also play a key role in developing the next evaluation, scheduled for 2029, recruiting the main panels and sub-panels, and undertake a wider ambassadorial role for the REF.

The research funders who organise the exercise said that main panel A, covering medicine, health and life sciences, would be chaired by Louise Kenny, executive pro vice-chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool.

Main panel B, encompassing physical sciences, engineering and mathematics, will be chaired by Tom Rodden, pro vice-chancellor of research and knowledge exchange at the University of Nottingham.

Main panel C, social sciences, will be chaired by Jane Falkingham, vice-president for engagement and international at the University of Southampton.

And main panel D, for the arts and humanities, will be chaired by Greg Walker, Regius professor of rhetoric and English literature at the University of Edinburgh.

Rebecca Fairbairn, the director of the REF, said: “I am delighted to announce 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.”

The next assessment was originally scheduled for 2028, but was pushed back by a year amid concerns about the difficulty of plans to fully break the link between individual staff numbers and university submissions.

The REF team has also said it will review the proposed weighting of research culture and environment, which is due to rise to 25 per cent in 2029, the same weight as impact.

Southampton’s Professor Falkingham said that the REF was “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”.

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“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,” she said.

Edinburgh’s Professor Walker said that this would be the fourth UK research assessment that he had been involved with “and I cannot remember a more challenging period for UK HE”.

“In that context I am relishing the opportunity the role will provide to experience and celebrate the full range and depth of research across the arts and humanities and the wider social benefits it generates,” he said.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com