Nineteen academics are appointed as expert panellists for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029.
University of Birmingham academics have been appointed as expert panellists for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029.
Appointment as a REF panellist recognises academic excellence and reflects the strength, diversity and ambition of research conducted at the University of Birmingham, whose 19 REF panellists are:
- Professor Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay
- Professor Kalwant Bhopal
- Professor Neil Champness
- Professor Tim Dafforn
- Professor Stephanie Decker
- Professor Fiona De Londras
- Professor Robert Elliott
- Professor Peter Fryer
- Professor Alessandra Guariglia
- Professor Suzanne Higgs
- Professor Paul Jackson
- Professor Will Leggett
- Professor Scott McCabe
- Professor Catherine Needham
- Professor William Palin
- Professor Duc Pham
- Professor Jenny Phillimore
- Dr Ema Sullivan-Bissett
- Professor Marika Taylor
“We’re delighted to see so many of our academics appointed as panellists for REF 2029 – underscoring the reputation and impact of our outstanding researchers. These brilliant colleagues are working at the forefront of their disciplines – mirroring our clear focus on delivering highly impactful research that changes the way our world works and improves the lives of people across the globe.”
–Professor Rachel K. O’Reilly MBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) – University of Birmingham
Professor Rachel K. O’Reilly MBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Birmingham said: “We’re delighted to see so many of our academics appointed as panellists for REF 2029 – underscoring the reputation and impact of our outstanding researchers.
“These brilliant colleagues are working at the forefront of their disciplines – mirroring our clear focus on delivering highly impactful research that changes the way our world works and improves the lives of people across the globe.”
The REF is a national assessment carried out by the UK’s four higher education funding organisations every seven years to evaluate the standard and broader impact of research in the country’s higher education institutions.
This national assessment helps to ensure research quality across the breadth of the UK’s universities and assesses the impact of this multi-disciplinary work, informing accountability and future funding and public investment.
University of Birmingham academics have been appointed to a diverse array of roles across the four main REF panels, which cover the following disciplinary areas:
- Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
- Physical Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics
- Social Sciences
- Arts and Humanities
The panel work for REF 2029 is divided into three stages: criteria setting, submission, and assessment. The first phase involves setting the criteria for how the research will be assessed. In the second phase, Higher Education Institutions prepare their submissions for assessment, whilst the final phase sees panel members evaluate these submissions to determine the final outcomes of REF 2029.
REF 2021 concluded that the University of Birmingham is one of the best universities in the country, ranking the University equal 10th amongst Russell Group universities and equal 13th in the whole UK. This year’s QS World University Rankings place Birmingham at 76th – a rise of four places on last year’s position.
