16 April 2025
Today the REF team have announced the membership of the Secretariat for REF 2029.
The Secretariat plays a key role in the development and delivery of the assessment framework and comprises two different positions:
- 12 panel advisors who provide high level procedural guidance to a main panel and a group of sub-panels
- 21 panel secretaries who provide high-quality, dedicated secretariat support and procedural guidance to up to two sub-panels
REF Director Rebecca Fairbairn said:
“Secretaries and Advisors are a crucial component of the REF exercise and the REF team, they provide the connectivity that holds this complicated programme together. I am immensely grateful to those who took the time to apply, it was an incredibly strong field and I am pleased we will be benefiting from such a wealth of experience from these appointees.”
Full membership of the Secretariat
Advisors
Mr Adam Riches, Head of Research Excellence, Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr Elizabeth Westlake, Assistant Director and Head of Research Environment and Policy, The University of Birmingham
Mrs Gillian Fairbairn, Director of Research, Innovation and Impact, The University of Surrey
Dr Jane Hallett, Head of Research Excellence, University of the West of England
Ms Jenny Hulin, Research Excellence Manager, Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd
Ms Jessica Cockell, Senior Research Manager, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Dr Julia Smith, Reader in Accounting & Finance, University of Strathclyde
Dr Kirsty Steed, School Research Manager, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Dr Luke Postlethwaite, Head of Research Culture, Development and Environment, University of Salford
Dr Natalie Wall, Strategic Research Impact Lead, King’s College London
Mrs Pilar Pousada Solino, Director, Research and Innovation Services, The University of Hull
Shelly Anne Stringer, Research Evaluation Manager, University of Oxford
Panel Secretaries
Mrs Aisha Yousuf, Recruitment Coordinator, The University of Warwick
Ms Betty Woessner, Research Development and Compliance Manager, City St George’s University of London
Dr Cathal Rogers, Research Culture and Assessment Manager, University of Manchester
Dr Claire Fenton, REF Manager, Bournemouth University
Mr Dan Thomson, Senior Research Manager, Aston University
Mr David Jones, University REF Manager, The University of Sheffield
Ms Elena Varela Fuentes, REF and Impact Manager, Anglia Ruskin University
Dr Gemma Fitzsimmons, Head of Research Information and Systems, University of Southampton
Ms Jane Shepard, Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange Staff Development, University of the Arts London (UAL)
Dr Joanna Phillips, Research and Impact Development Officer, The University of Leeds
Ms Julia Sheldrake, Associate Director Research Services, The University of East Anglia
Mrs Kate Payne, Senior Research Administrator, University of Durham
Dr Laura Healy, Research Quality and Excellence Manager, Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe
Dr Linda Ko-Ferrigno, University Impact Manager, University of York
Dr Lynn Christie, Senior Research Administrator, University of St Andrews
Dr Mel Nakisa, Research Excellence Manager, Cranfield University
Dr Nick Mithen, Head of Research Culture and Researcher Development, The University of Hull
Dr Rachel Wang, Senior Lecturer, Oxford Brookes University
Miss Tessa Piper, Research Excellence Manager, Coventry University
Mr Wilson Chan, Research Excellence Manager, SOAS University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies)
Ms Zi Parker, Head of the Doctoral College, Queen Mary University of London