Policy committees

The Academy’s public policy programme of work is overseen by the Vice-President (Public Policy), Professor Christina Boswell FBA, drawing on advice from the Public Policy Committee (PPC). The Committee is chaired by Professor Boswell and includes Fellows as well as external stakeholders amongst its members.

Membership

Professor Christina Boswell (Chair)

Stephen Aldridge (external)

Professor Sir John Curtice

Professor Kate Dommett (external)

Halima Khan (external)

Professor the Baroness (Ruth) Lister of Burtersett

Professor Tariq Modood

Dr Amy Orben (external)

Professor Susan Owens

Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad

Professor Fiona Stafford

(Secretary: Adam Wright)

The Research and Higher Education Policy Committee takes an overview of, and approves priorities for, the Academy’s research funding, higher education and skills policy. The committee is chaired by the Vice-President (Research & Higher Education Policy), Professor Simon Swain.

Membership:

Professor Simon Swain (Chair)

Dr Hannah Gibson

Professor Ed Page

Professor Roberta Gilchrist

Professor Neil Kenny

Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad

Professor Isabel Torres

Professor Elaine Unterhalter

Professor Jane Winters

Professor John Scott

Dr Valeria Skafida

Professor James Wilsdon

Michelle Doyle Wildman

(Secretary: Sarah Cowan)

The Higher Education Policy Development Group shapes and informs policy projects in the area of research and higher education. Following strategic advice from the Research and Higher Education Policy Committee, the committee supports the policy team in developing high impact policy work.

Membership:

Professor Elaine Unterhalter (Chair)

Professor Peter Mandler (Deputy Chair)

Dr Alex Bols

Professor Claire Callender

Amatey Doku

Dr Emily Henderson

Professor Sharon Huttly

Professor Simon Marginson

Professor Aletta Norval

Professor Sally Power

Dr. Omar Khan

Professor Ambreena Manji

Dr Josh Patel

Professor Nicola Ingram

Debbie McVitty

(Secretary: Connor Mckenzie)

These forums bring together senior representatives across organisations that fund, use and commission social science, arts and humanities research, in order to facilitate discussion about the major issues and challenges facing these disciplines. They provide an arena for debate at the highest level, to enable the needs of the social sciences, arts and humanities to be addressed and tackled.

Strategic Forum for Social Sciences

The Forum was established in 2001, originally hosted by the Economic and Social Research Council. Since October 2009 the British Academy has convened the Forum.

Chair: Professor Conor Gearty, Vice-President (Social Sciences)

Strategic Forum for the Humanities

The Strategic Forum for the Humanities was established in April 2017 in response to the longstanding success of the equivalent body for the social sciences.

Chair: Professor Judith Still, Vice-President (Humanities)

The secretary for both Strategic Forums is Brian Pepin, Senior Policy Advisor (HE & Skills) at the British Academy.

The Humanities and Social Sciences Learned Societies and Subject Associations Network is convened by the British Academy to bring together interested parties and academics from across the arts, humanities and social sciences in order to discuss a range of issues and policy developments pertinent to these disciplines. The network meets annually at the British Academy and includes invited speakers from relevant stakeholders to offer insight into areas of debate and policy activity.

The network is also used to disseminate information of relevance to learned societies and subject associations, as well as to collect input on the Academy’s policy work by email in between meetings.

The secretary for this network is Joanna Thornborough, Senior Policy Advisor (HE & Skills) at the British Academy.