Leading Imperial academics have been selected as panel members for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The four UK higher education funding bodies have announced the appointment of members to the main panel and sub-panels for the next REF exercise in 2021, including a complete set of members for the criteria setting phase and a partial set of additional members for the assessment phase only.

Over 4,000 nominations were made for roles across the four main panels and the 34 sub-panels.

The panel members include leading researchers with expertise in the wider use and benefits of research, as well as members with an international perspective on the main panels.

The eight Imperial academics appointed to the panels are:

• Professor Deborah Ashby (Member of Sub-Panel 2 - Public Health, Health Services & Primary Care; Assessment Phase only)
• Professor Richard Craster (Member of sub-Panel 10 – Mathematical Sciences; Assessment Phase only)
• Professor Paul Elliott (Chair of Sub-Panel 2 - Public Health, Health Services & Primary Care; Member of Main Panel A)

• Professor Martin Hairer (Member of sub-Panel 10 – Mathematical Sciences; Assessment Phase only)
• Professor Nicholas Long (Member of Sub-Panel 8 – Chemistry; Assessment Phase only)
• Professor Maja Pantic (Member of Sub Panel 11 – Computer Science and Informatics; for Criteria and Assessment Phase)
• Professor Mary Ryan (Member of Sub Panel 12 – Engineering; for Criteria and Assessment Phase)
• Professor Jonathan Weber (Member of Sub Panel 1 – Clinical Medicine; Criteria and Assessment Phase)

Congratulating those appointed, Professor Nick Jennings, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) said: “Imperial’s representation on the REF 2021 panels is testament to the strength of our research across a diverse set of subjects, from public health to mathematics. I know that my colleagues’ expertise and experience will play an important role in the development of the REF.” 

Further appointments to the panels will be made at a later date to ensure the sub-panels have an appropriate breadth of expertise and volume of panel members necessary for the assessment phase. This will be informed by a survey of institutions’ submission intentions to be carried out in 2019.

The last REF in 2014 found Imperial was home to the greatest concentration of high-impact research of any major UK university.