In this new role, Professor Nunn will enhance Research Culture and performance by providing strategic leadership on all aspects of the University’s research, including producing an ambitious submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

Furthermore, he will be responsible for developing an inclusive and diverse Research Culture, allied with Knowledge Exchange, in addition to fostering a vibrant Postgraduate Research community, and supporting colleagues to gain funding and increase income.

Professor Nunn has 20 years of experience in academic and applied social policy research and consultancy. He has produced more than 80 research outputs and generated research grant income of more than £3.5m. He regularly works with governments and international organisations to use evidence to help shape policy and practice, including the UK government, Council of Europe, European Commission and Inter-American Development Bank.

Before joining Leeds Trinity University, Professor Nunn was the Founding Director of the Centre for Social, Cultural and Legal Research at the University of Derby and responsible for REF Unit 20 (Social Policy and Social Work). He was previously Director of the Policy Research Institute, Head of Politics and Applied Global Ethics, and Founding Director of the Centre for Applied Social Research at Leeds Beckett University.

His current research agenda focuses on three inter-related areas: the way in which household strategies interact with institutions and social conditions to reproduce inequalities over time; political and public attitudes to inequality; and the way that labour market policy and implementation shapes the reproduction/mitigation of inequalities.

Professor Alex Nunn, incoming Dean of Research at Leeds Trinity University said: “I am thrilled to be joining Leeds Trinity at this exciting time. I look forward to working with colleagues to expand and improve our portfolio of impactful research.” 

Professor Malcolm Todd, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University, added: “I am very pleased to announce that Professor Alex Nunn will be joining Leeds Trinity University as Dean of Research. In this new role, Professor Nunn will play a significant part in helping to achieve the ambitious objectives of our Strategic Plan, supporting Leeds Trinity to be a key provider of research and research-rich learning. I look forward to welcoming Alex and working together in the coming months.”

Leeds Trinity University has significantly invested in its academic leadership to support the delivery of its Strategic Plan 2021-26. This includes strengthening the student experience, enhancing its academic reputation and improving Research and Knowledge Exchange outputs.

Read the Leeds Trinity University Strategic Plan online.