For the first time in its history, the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy has its research endeavour entirely led by women, reflecting its track record of supporting women into positions of influence.

It has also just been announced that four women academics from the faculty have been selected for the Leading Researchers Programme at King’s.

The competitive Leading Researchers Programme at King’s is an intensive, six-month course of workshops, spotlight sessions and one-to-one coaching designed to help researchers develop as effective leaders of large, complex projects and teams.

The four researchers who will join this year from SSPP are:

• Jane Catford, a Reader in Ecology in the Department of Geography. She is a plant community ecologist with an interest in community assembly, biological invasions, environmental change and biodiversity.
• Eka Ikpe, a Reader in Development Economics in Africa, and Director of the African Leadership Centre. Her research offers a critical understanding of socio-economic transformation processes which advances concept-building that centres spaces in Africa and parts of the Global South across the fields of economic development and peace and security.
• Christel Koop, a Reader in Political Economy in the Department of Political Economy. Her research focuses on regulation, central banking, and other areas of economic policy-making, both at the national and EU-level.
• Anne Pollock, a Professor of Global Health & Social Medicine in the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine. Her research explores feminist, antiracist and postcolonial engagements with science, technology and medicine.

All were selected because of their clear ambitions around research and skills development, their impressive and extensive research to date and their potential for larger, strategic achievements in future. Across the six-year history of the programme, this new cohort will mean 16 women academics from SSPP have been part of the initiative.

With the recent arrival of Professor Linda McKie as Executive Dean, the Faculty has extended its track record of supporting women into positions of influence.

Zoë Fearnley is SSPP Director of Operations and leads a Professional Services team that includes many women in leadership roles across the faculty.

Professor Cathy McIlwaine is the Vice Dean (Research), and Professor Rachel Kerr is the Vice Dean (Education) for SSPP.

Other women in senior roles are Dr Jill Hohenstein, Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies and Professor Kate Schreckenberg, who is Associate Dean (Impact & Innovation) until end of March 2022, when Dr Julia Pearce will take over the role.