The University is today announcing that Professor Jo Swaffield has been appointed as the next Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Jo, who is currently Head of the Department of Economics & Related Studies at the University of York, will join Southampton on 1 January 2022, when the current Dean Jane Falkingham’s second term of office ends. She will become a Member of the University Executive Board.
Jo is an applied micro labour economist with a particular interest in the UK labour market. She is currently also a Trustee of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and a member of the Home Office Migration Advisory Committee.
The appointment follows an extensive selection process including the introduction of a new strand of enhanced staff consultation through a faculty forum discussion of anonymised vision statements from each short-listed candidate, attended by more than 200 staff.
Professor Mark E. Smith, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Jo impressed the selection panel with her passion for the work, breadth and impact of the faculty, her ambition for the role the faculty can play in delivering the University’s emerging strategy, and her inclusive leadership style.”
“I would also like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Jane for her outstanding leadership of the faculty over the last eight years, and the tremendous contribution she has made at UEB, and across so many university activities including more recently as the interim Vice-President (International).”
Professor Jo Swaffield said: “Southampton is an outstanding University, with an impressive and growing international reputation, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to take on this role as the University embarks on an ambitious new strategy for the future.”
