City St George’s academics appointed to Research Excellence Framework 2029 panels

City St George’s, University of London colleagues Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Professor Laudan Nooshin and Betty Woessner have been appointed to subpanels for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029.

REF is the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education providers (HEIs). Its outcomes are strategically important as they inform the allocation of £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research. The last results were published in 2022.

With expertise spanning global politics, ethnomusicology and social work and compliance, the three City St George’s appointments for REF2029 reflect the strength, depth and disciplinary reach of research across the University.

Their appointments follow the involvement of Professor Nooshin, Ms Woessner and Dr Jessica Jones Nielsen in the REF2029 People, Culture and Environment Pilot Panels.

The selection shows City St George’s important role with the Higher Education sector and its commitment to supporting a fair and inclusive assessment of research quality across the UK.

Politics and international politics

Professor Parmar is an expert in international politics and the Associate Dean for Research in the School of Policy & Global Affairs (SPGA).

As such, he splits his time between teaching, research and supporting SPGA academic colleagues in developing their research.

He was appointed as a member of the subpanel 19, which reviews research in politics and international studies. He said:

It’s a privilege to contribute as well as an amazing chance to learn firsthand from my colleagues across the UK university system and to shaping the assessment criteria as well.

This role is exciting because it allows me to assess and learn from cutting-edge research that addresses pressing issues. It’s an especially challenging and interesting time for research in Politics and International Studies, and I’m thrilled to play a part in it.

As a member of the subpanel, I’ll work with colleagues to develop fair and transparent criteria for assessing research in my discipline.

By fostering excellence in research, REF2029 will help UK universities continue to lead on the world stage.

I’m looking forward to working with an outstanding, diverse and experienced team to ensure REF2029 is rigorous, inclusive, and impactful.

He will draw on his research background in international relations and political history to ensure the REF 2029 recognises diverse research outputs and their real-world impact, from public policy to global challenges.

His research expertise includes American politics, the global world order, and the role of thinktanks in shaping foreign policy.

Music, drama, dance, performing arts, film and screen studies

Professor Laudan Nooshin, from the Department of Performing Arts in the School of Communication & Creativity, was appointed a panellist for Unit of Assessment 33, which reviews the subjects of music, drama, dance, performing arts, film and screen studies. She was also a panellist for REF2021.

This appointment recognises Professor Nooshin’s longstanding contributions to musicology and ethnomusicology, alongside her leadership in advancing equitable research cultures nationally and internationally.

She is an active researcher working in the broad fields of urban sound studies, film music studies, popular music studies and contemporary music cultures, with a particular focus on Iran and the Middle East. Her work has played a key role in the development of the field of ethnomusicology in the UK over the past 40 years.

Professor Nooshin’s appointment reflects City St George’s longstanding leading role in the national and international research landscape for music. In 2021, Music scored the highest REF return of any department at City and was top of the country for REF output scores.

In November, the Department of Performing Arts celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the groundbreaking BSc in Music.

Social work and social policy

In addition to academic appointments, Betty Woessner, Research Development and Compliance Manager, was appointed as panel secretary to the subpanel 20, which will assess research related to social work and social policy.

She brings a wealth of experience working on research impact, research systems and data management for funding proposals, having held roles at University of the Arts London, University of East London, University of Kent and legacy St George’s.

Her appointment underscores the essential role of professional services expertise in delivering consistent, transparent and robust REF processes.

She said:

There will be many changes for the next REF and working on the REF subpanel and the People Culture and Environment Pilot provide useful insights into the process which can support City St George's preparations.

I am looking forward to spending the next few years being on the inside of such an important exercise.