Professor Craig Watkins

An economist with a PhD in Land Economics from the University of Paisley, Craig joined the University of Sheffield's Department of Town and Regional Planning in 2004, with research focusing on the structure and operation of property markets. In June 2019 he became Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Professor Craig Watkins - Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences

Vice President and Head of Faculty of Social Sciences

Professor Craig Watkins was appointed as Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences in June 2019, after being in the role on an interim basis.

Craig graduated with a BSc (Economics) from the University of Strathclyde in 1989 and, after a 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.

He joined Sheffield's Department of Town and Regional Planning in February 2004 and was promoted to Reader in September 2004. He also served as Head of Town and Regional Planning, before taking up the post of Faculty Director of Research & Innovation.

Craig's 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.