Leading Economist Joins the University of Glasgow

UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / December 08, 2020 / The University of Glasgow is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Graeme Roy as Dean of External Engagement in the College of Social Sciences.

Professor Roy will move from the University of Strathclyde, where he is currently Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute.

Professor Sara Carter, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Social Sciences, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Graeme Roy. Professor Roy brings considerable expertise in the field of policy and the economy to his new role as Dean of External Engagement.

“Alongside continuing his analysis of the economy and economic policy in Scotland, he will play a major leadership role in working to enhance the visibility and impact of the University and its research in social sciences.

“Professor Roy will be working with our partners in Glasgow and beyond to support the city’s ambitions to be a leading and vibrant centre of enterprise and productivity.”

Professor Roy, who takes up his new Glasgow post on 1 March 2021, said: “I am delighted to be joining the University of Glasgow and to be taking on this exciting new role in the College of Social Sciences.

“Social scientists have a crucial role to play in helping us find solutions to the key challenges and opportunities that our economy and society face in the years ahead – whether that be the recovery from COVID-19, climate change or how best to tackle inequality and improve wellbeing.

“I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the University to take forward an exciting new agenda for external engagement within the College.

Professor Roy is a Glasgow graduate and a former Senior Civil Servant in the Scottish Government (where he was head of the First Minister’s Policy Unit). He has led the Fraser of Allander Institute since 2016 and is also currently Head of Economics at the University of Strathclyde. Under his leadership the Fraser of Allander has established itself as a major economics research institute in the UK and an authority on economic policy in Scotland.

Professor Roy is a lead editor of the ESRC’s Economic Observatory, co-director of the Economic Futures initiative and a member of the senior management team of the ONS funded Economics Statistics Centre of Excellence. He is a past special adviser to the cross-party Economy Committee of the Scottish Parliament and Principal Investigator on the PrOPEL Hub, an ESRC initiative which is exploring links between job quality, management practice and productivity.

Professor Roy is a well-known commentator on the Scottish economy, a role that he will continue to have at Glasgow. He is currently working on a range of diverse projects including in the areas of productivity, devolved economic and fiscal policy and support for adults with learning disabilities. His work has been funded by the ESRC, the Standard Life Foundation, the Scottish Policy Foundation, UKERC, the Scottish Funding Council and various public and private sector organisations.