The University’s representation on the ESRC Council will continue as Professor Jane Falkingham OBE steps down. Professor Jackline Wahba OBE, from Economic, Social and Political Sciences, has been appointed to a three-year term, starting from April 2022.
Professor Jane Falkingham OBE and Professor Jackline Wahba OBE
The ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) is one of the nine funding agencies under the umbrella of UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) and is the UK’s largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science.
Professor Falkingham, Professor of Demography and International Social Policy and Director of the ESRC Connecting Generations Centre, has been a member of the Council for the past three years. Whilst serving on the Council, she served as Chair of the ESRC Grant Delivery Group (GDG) and was involved in a wide range of projects including the review of the future of longitudinal studies, the potential for a new birth cohort or the in drafting the new ESRC Strategy, which will be published later this year.
One highlight was her involvement in the Council’s response to COVID-19 impacts. Professor Falkingham said: “When the pandemic started, UKRI was quick to implement emergency funding routes and I was Vice Chair and then Chair of the ESRC COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding Panel. It was amazing to see how rapidly our community responded. The ESRC was involved in by far the highest number of projects, ranging from investigating mental health issues to economic and environmental impacts, as well as helping innovative businesses through these tough times.”
She added: “Being on ESRC Council has been an immense honour and privilege. Being Chair of the GDG meant that I read hundreds of applications and gained an overview of the current research questions being posed by the social science community. I also gained an insight into what distinguished those applications that were funded from others. Having a topical and relevant question is a necessary, but not sufficient condition, and real attention needs to be paid to the research design and methods, as well as the pathways to impact, collaboration and capacity building. Also, don’t assume that someone directly related to your discipline will be reading it, so avoid technical jargon.”
On her appointment, Professor Wahba, Professor of Economics, said: “I am delighted to be appointed to the ESRC Council and to be able to contribute to the strategic mission and leadership of the ESRC. Social sciences research has a critical role to play in helping to tackle current and future challenges, and I hope my expertise as an economist and interest in data development and innovative methodologies will help me to contribute to the ESRC strengthening the economic, policy and societal impact of social scientific research.”
ESRC recruitment
The ESRC is currently recruiting for members of its Grant Assessment Panels. Members are sought from a range of disciplines. Find out more on the UKRI website.
