Professor James Wilsdon
MA (Oxon), DProf (Middlesex)
Information School
Digital Science Professor of Research Policy
Director, Research on Research Institute (RoRI)
+44 7731 592796
Full contact details
Information School
Regent Court (IS)
211 Portobello
Sheffield
S1 4DP
- Profile
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I am an interdisciplinary social scientist who works on the governance and management of science and research, and the relationship between evidence and decision-making. Over my career, in addition to academic posts at the universities of Sheffield, Sussex and Lancaster, I’ve worked in public policy, think tanks and at the UK’s national academy of science.
Since 2016, I’ve been based at the University of Sheffield, where I am now Digital Science Professor of Research Policy and Director of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) - an international consortium of research funders, academics and technologists with a mission to accelerate transformational and translational research on research systems, cultures and decision-making. RoRI’s consortium now includes 20 research funders from 15 countries, who between them invest over US$ 23bn each year in research and innovation.
Since the late-1990s, as a researcher, writer, policy adviser and social entrepreneur, I’ve worked at the heart of science and research policy in the UK and internationally. I’ve pioneered and advanced concepts such as upstream public engagement, science diplomacy, responsible metrics and responsible research assessment; and have co-founded or chaired initiatives such as People & Planet; the Campaign for Social Science; the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA); the UK Forum for Responsible Research Metrics; the Royal Society Science Policy Centre. and the Research on Research Institute (RoRI).
In 2014, I was invited to chair an independent UK government review of research metrics, published as The Metric Tide. I subsequently chaired a European Commission expert group on Next Generation Metrics. I also directed the ESRC’s Nexus Network, a £1.7m initiative to link research and policy on food, energy and water.
Previously, I worked as professor of science and democracy in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex (2011-15); director of science policy at the Royal Society (2008-11); head of science and innovation at the think tank Demos (2001-08); senior research fellow at Lancaster University's Institute for Advanced Studies (2006-08); special adviser to the UK Sustainable Development Commission (2000-01); and senior policy adviser at Forum for the Future (1997-01).
I contribute regularly to the media, and from 2013-18, I co-edited The Guardian’s ‘Political Science’ blog (now hosted by Research Professional) and I have also written for the Financial Times, Nature, Science, Times Higher Education, Research Fortnight and Wonkhe. In 2015, I was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, I serves on the editorial board of the OA journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and tweet @jameswilsdon.
- Research interests
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My research interests include:
- research on research and meta-research – particularly analysis of systems of funding, evaluation and assessment;
- science and research policy in the UK, EU and internationally;
- public engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion in research cultures;
- evidence in decision-making and the politics and practice of scientific advice.
I'm a strong supporter of open access, and aim whenever possible to publish my own work in OA formats. I’m also on the editorial advisory panel of Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, an interdisciplinary open-access journal for the social sciences.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Analysts, advocates and applicators : three discourse coalitions of UK evidence and policy. Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice. View this article in WRRO
- A conducive environment? The role of need support in the higher education workplace and its effect on academics' experiences of research assessment in the UK. Higher Education Quarterly, 75(1), 146-160. View this article in WRRO
- Europe the rule-maker. Nature, 569(7757), 479-481. View this article in WRRO
Reports
- UKRI open access review: Consultation analysis
Working papers
- The changing role of funders in responsible research assessment: progress, obstacles and the way ahead. RoRI Working Paper, 3. View this article in WRRO
- The Real-Time REF Review: A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility of a Longitudinal Evaluation of Perceptions and Attitudes Towards REF 2021. View this article in WRRO
All publications
Books
- The Metric Tide: Independent Review of the Role of Metrics in Research Assessment and Management. SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Introduction: Digital Futures: An agenda for a sustainable digital economy.
- Digital Futures. Routledge.
Journal articles
- Analysts, advocates and applicators : three discourse coalitions of UK evidence and policy. Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice. View this article in WRRO
- A conducive environment? The role of need support in the higher education workplace and its effect on academics' experiences of research assessment in the UK. Higher Education Quarterly, 75(1), 146-160. View this article in WRRO
- For science, Brexit isn't done yet. Science, 367(6478), 605-605. View this article in WRRO
- Europe the rule-maker. Nature, 569(7757), 479-481. View this article in WRRO
- Brexit must preserve advisory networks.. Nature, 543(7647), 591-591. View this article in WRRO
- UK science, post-Brexit. Science AAAS, 355(6331), 1243-1243. View this article in WRRO
- Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food, energy, water and the environment. Sustainability Science, 12(2), 319-331. View this article in WRRO
- From paradox to principles: where next for scientific advice to governments?. Palgrave Communications, 2. View this article in WRRO
- Science advice for Europe. Science, 353(6297), 327-327. View this article in WRRO
- Forskningens plass i politikken. Stat og styring, 25(03), 20-21.
- Acknowledging AI's dark side. Science, 349(6252), 1064-1064. View this article in WRRO
- We need a measured approach to metrics. Nature, 523(7559), 129-129. View this article in WRRO
- Watchdogs of the European system. Science, 348(6238), 947-947. View this article in WRRO
- The Past, Present and Future of the Chief Scientific Advisor. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 5(3), 293-299.
- From foresight to hindsight: the promise of history in responsible innovation. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 1(1), 109-112.
- Why should we promote public engagement with science?. Public Understanding of Science, 23(1), 4-15. View this article in WRRO
- Beyond the great and good. Nature, 485(7398), 301-302.
- The new geography of science. Physics World, 21(10), 51-53.
- China: the next science superpower?. Engineering & Technology, 2(3), 28-31.
- From Bio to Nano: Learning Lessons from the UK Agricultural Biotechnology Controversy. Science as Culture, 15(4), 291-307.
- The politics of small things: nanotechnology, risk, and uncertainty. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 23(4), 16-21.
- Digital Futures â An Agenda for a Sustainable Digital Economy. Corporate Environmental Strategy, 8(3), 275-280.
- A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BIONOMICS OF SALMONIDS OF 3 DEVON STREAMS. ARCHIV FUR HYDROBIOLOGIE, 65(2), 187-&.
- Digital Sustainability in Europe. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 6(2), 10-12.
Chapters
- Powerhouse of Science? Prospects and Pitfalls of Place-Based Science and Innovation Policies in Northern England, Developing England’s North (pp. 121-138). Springer International Publishing
- Responsible metrics, Higher Education Strategy and Planning (pp. 247-253). Routledge View this article in WRRO
- Dot-com ethics: E-business and sustainability, Digital Futures: Living in a Networked World (pp. 72-93).
- Sustainable Reform and Development in Post-Olympic China Routledge
- Dot.com ethics: E-business and sustainability, The Ecology of the New Economy: Sustainable Transformation of Global Informatio (pp. 61-71). Greenleaf Publishing Limited
Conference proceedings papers
- The Brexit experience — evidence, expertise, and post-truth politics. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, Vol. vol. 151(part 1, 2018) (pp 45-49). Sydney, Australia, 29 November 2017 - 29 November 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Metrics and Assessment. Insights the UKSG journal, Vol. 28(2) (pp 33-38)
Reports
- UKRI open access review: Consultation analysis
- Tracking global evidence-to-policy pathways in the coronavirus crisis: A preliminary report
- The Real-Time REF Review: A Pilot Study (Executive Summary) View this article in WRRO
- The Biomedical Bubble: Why UK research and innovation needs a greater diversity of priorities, politics, places and people View this article in WRRO
- The Diversity Dividend: does a more diverse and inclusive research community produce better biomedical and health research? View this article in WRRO
- Sustainability in turbulent times: lessons from the Nexus Network for supporting transdisciplinary research View this article in WRRO
- Next-Generation Metrics: Responsible Metrics & Evaluation for Open Science View this article in WRRO
- The Metric Tide: Report of the Independent Review of the Role of Metrics in Research Assessment and Management View this article in WRRO
- Global resilience through knowledge-based cooperation: a new Protocol for Science Diplomacy View this article in WRRO
Working papers
- The changing role of funders in responsible research assessment: progress, obstacles and the way ahead. RoRI Working Paper, 3. View this article in WRRO
- Review of diversity and inclusion literature and an evaluation of methodologies and metrics relating to health research. View this article in WRRO
- The Real-Time REF Review: A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility of a Longitudinal Evaluation of Perceptions and Attitudes Towards REF 2021. View this article in WRRO
Presentations
- Analysts, advocates and applicators : three discourse coalitions of UK evidence and policy. Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice. View this article in WRRO
- Teaching interests
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I would be pleased to hear from prospective PhD students, particularly those looking to work on: meta-research and meta-science; research assessment and evaluation; the politics of scientific advice; or the role of metrics in research management and governance. Currently, I co-supervise two PhD students: George Asiamah and Hollie Henderson.