The University of Sheffield
Research, business and partnerships

Directors of Research & Innovation

Our five Faculty Directors of Research & Innovation (FDRIs) are responsible for developing and leading research, innovation and knowledge exchange strategies for their respective research areas. Working together, and with the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, Professor Richard Jones, they play an important role in promoting inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary research activity.

Faculty Directors of Research & Innovation

Andrew Linn

Arts and Humanities: Professor Andrew Linn

Andrew became a lecturer in the Department of English Language and Linguistics in 1997, being made senior lecturer in 2002 and a Chair in the History of Linguistics in 2003. Andrew's research is currently devoted to trying to make sense of the extraordinary recent events in Norwegian language politics (particularly the response to 'the threat of English'), and to issues of language reform more generally. He is also a founding member of the AHRC peer review college and also of the Worldwide Universities Network History of Linguistics Group.

As FDRI for Arts and Humanities, Andrew is working closely with the Humanities Research Institute and other research centres and clusters within the Faculty and is closely supported by the R&IS team.
Prof David Lerner

Engineering: Professor David Lerner

David Lerner came to academic life in 1984 via a water authority and international consultants, and has since worked in both Geology and Civil Engineering departments. He is one of the founders of the Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group (GPRG ) which, with its daughter groups, now has about 50 researchers working at a range of scales from cells to catchments. Early work experience included water resources modelling, irrigation hydrology, flood hydrology and erosion control, as well as his specialism of groundwater. David has worked in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Peru and Algeria as well as throughout the UK. Recent research interests have included urban groundwater, natural attenuation of pollutants, modelling, and fractured rock hydrogeology.

His current research interests are on larger scale and policy issues. With other colleagues he leads the multi- disciplinary Catchment Science Centre, which was created in cooperation with the Environment Agency. This researches across the hydrology, ecology and water quality domains to deliver the next generation of understanding and tools for integrated and sustainable catchment management practices. David's latest grant is for an EPSRC consortium, URSULA, which is investigating integrated and innovations approaches to urban river corridors. He has recently been on secondment to Defra advising on a research strategy for diffuse urban pollution.
Paul Hellewell

Medicine, Dentistry and Health: Professor Paul Hellewell

After completing an undergraduate at King’s and a PhD at Cambridge, Paul worked for a variety of medical research institutes and companies. Paul took up his current post as Chair of Vascular Biology in 1998 and has since held a number of senior roles. His current research centres on mechanisms and regulation of leukocyte endothelial transmigration and the biology of selectins and selectin ligands.

As FDRI, Paul provides leadership in research and supports the development of management information, key performance indicators and benchmarks to evaluate and increase research performance. A key part of Paul's role is to promote the Faculty externally, making the most of external networks, especially with regard to NHS R&D colleagues and NHS funding opportunities.

Science: Professor Rob Freckleton

Rob joined the University of Sheffield in 2006 as Professor of Population Biology, alongside this he is a Royal Society Research Fellow. His current research focuses on modelling population and community dynamics. He is particularly interested in large scale population dynamics, although have a range of interests, including:
• Plant population ecology, modelling plant populations, modelling weed populations.
• Evolutionary ecology, phylogenetic comparative methodology and its application to ecological problems.
• Theoretical ecology, statistical methodology.
Image of Prof Craig Watkins

Social Sciences: Professor Craig Watkins

Craig graduated with a BSc (Economics) from the University of Strathclyde in 1989 and, after a (very) brief period in industry, worked as a researcher in the Department of Economics at the University of Strathclyde, the Department of Land Economics at the University of Paisley and the School of Planning and Housing at Heriot-Watt University. For much of this period he also worked part time on a PhD (Land Economics) at the University of Paisley. In 1995, he was appointed to a lectureship in the Department of Land Economy at the University of Aberdeen and in 1999 was promoted to Senior Lecturer.

His current and recent research focuses on the structure and operation of property markets, particularly local housing systems, and the impact of public policy on real estate market performance. This research addresses theoretical and empirical issues and is generally, although not exclusively, located within a quantitative economic framework.