I am delighted to be joining King's as Professor of Social Policy & Race, particularly in light of my own research into the persistently low number of Black female professors at UK universities. I know that King's is working to take such issues seriously and look forward to contributing to this by supporting research students and by developing ideas to address the imbalance in representation of Black faculty.
Professor Nicola Rollock
29 September 2021
Dr Nicola Rollock appointed as Professor at King's College London
Dr Nicola Rollock will play a critical role supporting PhD students and continuing to inform and contribute to debates on racial justice.
Dr Nicola Rollock has today been appointed Professor of Social Policy and Race at King's College London.
An academic, consultant and public speaker, Professor Nicola Rollock is an internationally recognised specialist in racial justice in education and the workplace. Her ground-breaking work examined for the first time the career experiences of Black female Professors in the United Kingdom. Her research led to the exhibition, ‘Phenomenal Women’ at London’s Southbank Centre during October 2020.
Professor Rollock is Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs’ Select Committee’s ‘Macpherson 22 Years On’ Inquiry. She is also a member of Wellcome Trust's Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group, their newly formed Anti-racism Expert Group and the British Science Association’s Equality & Diversity Advisory Group.
She has achieved a number of accolades for her academic research and its impact. This includes being named on the Duke & Duchess of Sussex's list of Next Generation Trailblazers, following a nomination by Baroness Doreen Lawrence; selected by Times Higher journalists as one of eleven scholars globally to have influenced the debate in higher education; awarded the 2016 PRECIOUS Award for Outstanding Woman in Professional Services for contributions to race equality, recognised in 2015 as a Woman of Achievement by the Women of the Year Council and being made a Distinguished Fellow in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge.
At King's, Nicola will play a critical role in the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, supporting PhD students, continuing to inform and contribute to debates on racial justice and developing ideas to further advance the university’s inclusive environment. She will join a community of scholars across King’s who are bringing their research to bear on some of the world’s biggest challenges today.
This is a hugely exciting appointment for King’s. Nicola’s work into racial justice is very important. We are looking forward to working with her on the rigorous research that will make a real difference to racial equality and to advancing and embedding inclusion into everything we do at King’s.
Professor Evelyn Welch, Senior Vice President (Service, People & Planning) at King’s College London
Professor Frans Berkhout, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King’s College London said: “Racial justice is one of the greatest challenges in all societies globally. We are delighted that Nicola Rollock is joining King’s to build on the formidable research and societal influence which she has already achieved.”