Professor Anita Taylor and Professor Steve May

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Bath Spa senior academics appointed to assess quality of UK university research

Wednesday, 28 March, 2018

Two Bath Spa University senior academics have been appointed to national panels which will review the quality of UK higher education research.

Bath Spa University’s Professor Anita Taylor, Executive Dean of Bath School of Art and Design, and Professor Steve May, Vice Dean Provost for the College of Liberal Arts, have been appointed to Research Excellence Framework (REF) panels for 2021.

Professor Taylor will serve as a practising researcher in the assessment phase for the Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory panel, whilst Professor May will sit on the English Language and Literature Criteria Phase panel.

Professor John Strachan, Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise at Bath Spa University said: “It’s tremendous news that both Anita and Steve have been selected for REF panels in their respective specialist fields.

“Creative universities, such as Bath Spa, undertake very important practice-based research work in a broad range of subjects, so it is highly positive that REF has taken steps to bring experts in this type of research on to the assessment panels for 2021.”

REF is a process of review carried out by expert panels for 34 subject-based units of assessment, under the guidance of four main panels. Expert panels are made up of senior academics, international members, and research users. REF was put in place to ensure the continuation of world-class, dynamic and responsive research across the full academic spectrum in UK higher education.

The 2021 REF is the second review being undertaken. Introduced to replace the previous Research Assessment Exercise, the first REF was carried out in 2014 by the four UK higher education funding bodies: the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

For more information, visit the REF website.

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John Strachan