REF 2029 main and sub-panel recruitment

Our main and sub-panels are at the heart of the REF assessment process, and they bring together specialist expertise in each Unit of Assessment (UoA). Within the REF we have four main panels and 34 sub-panels.

We are now seeking to recruit members to our main and sub-panels for REF 2029. Individuals applying to these roles must have the support of their employing organisation for their appointment, and we welcome applications from diverse groups. Read more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion in REF panels.

The closing date for sub-panel chair and deputy chair applications is midday 6 February.
No further sub-panel chair and deputy applications will be processed after 6 February 2025.

The application form will remain open for all other roles until midday 28 April 2025.

We estimate that candidates will be informed of the next steps between March and June 2025.

You can apply for the following roles:

Sub-panel member (including chair and deputy chair)
Main panel international expert
Main panel PCE expert
Main panel user expert
Main panel interdisciplinary expert

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Please note, the introduction to the application form asks you to make sure you have read the information about who can be involved, how we will select the panel roles for appointment, and the time commitment involved. You’ll find all this information below.

If you have any questions, including any need for reasonable adjustments, please contact info@ref.ac.uk using the subject “REF main and sub-panel recruitment”.

Recruitment phases

The main and sub-panel roles are being appointed through an open recruitment process. The recruitment process will be conducted in two phases, aligned with the REF 2029 timetable:

the criteria setting phase (until June 2026): panels develop the assessment criteria and working methods for their respective UoA
the assessment phase (until March 2030, including reporting): panels assess REF 2029 submissions

The main and sub-panel members recruited for the criteria phase are appointed on the basis that their role will continue into the assessment phase.

Applicants who are not appointed for the criteria phase may, as part of this process, be offered a role to begin at the assessment phase in 2027. More information will be provided closer to that time. We anticipate conducting a further round of recruitment for the assessment phase.

Due to the likely volume of applications, we will be unable to provide feedback on an individual basis if you are unsuccessful.

The role of the main panels

Main panels play a vital leadership role in the REF. Each main panel oversees a group of sub-panels, ensuring a cohesive and consistent approach to assessment across disciplines.

The key responsibilities of a main panel include:

Developing assessment criteria and methods: establishing clear and consistent criteria and working methods for their sub-panels, ensuring alignment with the overall REF and incorporating feedback from the academic community and relevant stakeholders
Guiding and supporting sub-panels: providing guidance and support to sub-panels throughout the assessment process, ensuring adherence to the criteria, working methods, and consideration of diversity
Calibrating assessment standards: working with sub-panels to calibrate assessment standards and ensure consistent application across the REF framework
Signing off assessment outcomes: reviewing and signing off the assessment outcomes for all submissions made to their sub-panels, based on the recommendations and advice of the sub-panel members
Collaborating with advisory panels: work with the People and Diversity Advisory Panel (PDAP) and the Research Diversity Advisory Panel (RDAP)
Advising the REF team: providing expert advice to the REF team and funding bodies on various aspects of the assessment process
Reporting on research excellence: producing a final report summarising the state of research within their disciplinary areas and highlighting its broader benefits and impact

The role of the sub-panels

Sub-panels are the core assessment units within the REF. There are 34 of them, one for each UoA, and they are composed of experts in each area who work collaboratively to:

Contribute to criteria development: consult on and contribute to the development of assessment criteria and working methods specific to their UoA, ensuring alignment with the main panel’s guidance
Assess submissions: evaluate submissions rigorously and fairly against the established criteria, providing recommendations to the main panel on the quality of research
Advise on expertise: advise the main panel and REF team on cross-referrals of submitted material to other sub-panels and on any need for additional expertise required to assess submissions
Collaborate with advisory panels: work with the People and Diversity Advisory Panel (PDAP) and the Research Diversity Advisory Panel (RDAP)
Produce draft outcomes: produce draft assessment outcomes and feedback for each submission, which are then recommended to the main panel for final sign-off

The work of the panels

In the criteria phase the main and sub-panels will:

contribute to the development of the UoA descriptor, full assessment criteria and working methods for their specific UoA, ensuring alignment with main panel guidance

In the assessment phase the main and sub-panels will:

evaluate submissions rigorously and fairly against the established criteria, providing recommendations to the main panel on the quality of research
produce draft assessment outcomes and feedback for each submission, which are then recommended to the main panel for final sign-off
advise on any submissions that may require cross-referral to other sub-panels or the need for additional expertise in the assessment process

The relationship between main panels and sub-panels is designed to be collaborative, with sub-panels working closely with main panels throughout the criteria setting and assessment process. This includes collective development of criteria and an iterative approach to assessment, ensuring consistency and fairness across all UoAs. All panels will engage and collaborate with the REF 2029 advisory panels, (PDAP and RDAP).

Panel composition

Main panels

The main panel chairs will decide on the final balance of roles with the main panels. It is anticipated that each main panel will comprise:

Main panel chair: provides overall leadership for the main panel and its sub-panels, guiding the development of criteria, ensuring consistent assessment standards, and overseeing the timely delivery of results. The chair also plays a key ambassadorial role in engaging with the UK higher education sector on the REF
Sub-panel chairs: the chairs of each sub-panel, under the main panel’s remit, contributing their UoA expertise
Specialist experts:
- International experts: these members have experience leading research in at least one country outside the UK. They ensure the assessment criteria reflect international standards
- People, Culture and Environment experts: these members have experience leading and delivering initiatives that create positive cultures and supportive environments
- Experts in the use, application, and wider benefits of research: these members have experience in using research in the private, public, or third sectors. They ensure the fair assessment of research impact
- Interdisciplinary experts: these members have experience leading and using interdisciplinary research. They ensure the fair assessment of interdisciplinary research and work closely with other panels to maintain consistency

Sub-panels

The panel leadership will decide on the final balance of roles within panels.

It is anticipated that each sub-panel will comprise:

Chair: leads the sub-panel’s work, including advising on membership, contributing to criteria development, and assessing submissions
Deputy chair(s): supports the chair and leads the panel in their absence
Members: practicing researchers with a breadth of research expertise. This includes experts concerning commissioning, applying, or making use of research, experts concerning impact and engagement and people, culture, and environment

It is anticipated that the following roles will be recruited for the assessment phase:

Assessors of contributions to knowledge and understanding: experts in assessing research outputs within the UoA
Assessors of engagement and impact: experts in assessing the impact of research
Assessors of People, Culture and Environment: experts in assessment of the PCE element of submissions

Diversity of expertise

To ensure a diversity of expertise in criteria setting, we encourage applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including other sectors, policy work, and community-based experience.

We are seeking diverse experiences across:

disciplinary and sub-disciplinary areas, within the 34 UoAs
diverse expertise in different forms and stages of research and impact
careers and career stages
regionality and across the UK nations
institutions
institution type

Payment

Panel members will be paid a fee for their role across the duration of the REF:

Sub-panel chairs: £18,000 in total, split across
- Criteria phase: £6,000
- Assessment phase: £12,000
Sub-panel deputies: £13,500 in total, split across
- Criteria phase: £4,500
- Assessment phase: £9,000
Sub-panel members: £10,000 in total, split across
- Criteria phase: £3,334
- Assessment phase: £6,666
Main panel specialist experts: £18,000 in total, split across
- Criteria phase: £6,000
- Assessment phase: £12,000

Total panel fees apply across the whole duration of the REF.

Time commitment

We estimate that panel members will need to commit to approximately 40 to 60 days of time over the course of the exercise. This will depend on the panel and your role in it and the phase in which you are appointed.

The concentration of time commitment will vary over the course of the REF; we expect this to split into one third for the criteria setting, and two thirds for the assessment phase.

Ways of working

We anticipate that panel meetings will be a mix of face-to-face and virtual. Face-to-face meetings will be held where needed, for example to establish relationships or to conclude a section of work. Virtual meetings will be used where possible to improve accessibility, provide flexibility and to reduce costs and burden. The frequency of meetings will vary dependent on the point in the REF cycle and the needs of the panel.

Decision-making

Panel chairs will make any final decision on matters that fall within their panel’s responsibilities. The chair will base those decisions on the balanced view of the panel, (deputy chair and panel members), their own perspective and the aims of REF 2029.The chair’s decision-making must be informed by encouraging open and diverse perspectives from the panels.

How to apply for main and sub-panel roles

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Information about the application form:

the Contents page guides you through the form
you can click through the form to preview the questions for each section without having to complete anything
please read the introduction and privacy policy before completing any of the application form
each role has its own page and application form
click on the relevant link to view the questions for each role
please complete the page for each role you would like to be considered for
if you are not interested in a role then please leave that page blank
there is a Save option so you can complete the form in stages and save it as you go along
there is a diversity data monitoring section, completion of this section is optional though encouraged
when you have completed all the relevant parts of the form click on Finish, at the bottom of the screen, to submit your application
please contact us at info@ref.ac.uk if you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process

The application form will allow you to select the roles that you wish to apply for. We have also included details of the criteria that will be used for the shortlisting selection process. Please describe how your experience demonstrates that you meet the criteria or offer commensurate alternatives.

We will shortlist based on the evidence provided in your application form. Rather than lists of achievements or accolades, please consider each of the bullet points within each criterion. We welcome transferable skills from comparable experiences that may come from different sectors or internationally. We welcome diverse demonstrations of these criteria and recognise that relevant experiences may vary across groups.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply, even if you are not certain that you meet every criterion listed. Research shows that men often apply without fulfilling all criteria, whilst women and individuals from underrepresented groups may hesitate unless they meet every point. To counteract this and foster diversity, we view these criteria flexibly. We are keen to hear from individuals with varied experiences who can bring unique perspectives to the panel, this includes diverse lived experiences. Experiences beyond academia are also highly valued.

If you have already successfully applied to act as a REF 2029 advisory panel member it is not possible for you to hold any further panel roles. In exceptional cases, we may offer a different role to those applied for, but it is unlikely that we will offer more than one role to any individual.

Timeline for applications

The closing date for sub-panel chair and deputy chair applications is midday 6 February 2025.

Please note that the application form will remain open for all other roles until midday 28 April 2025.

We estimate that applicants will be informed about next steps between March and June 2025. Please note that these dates are estimations and may vary. Due to the volume of applications we expect to receive we are unable to provide feedback on individual applications.

The four UK higher education funding bodies will make the final decision on all appointments. All panel appointments will be required to conduct themselves in line with the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Applicants may be asked to provide additional information to support their application. We will provide more information on this if it is required.

If you have any questions, including any need for reasonable adjustments, please contact info@ref.ac.uk using the subject “REF main and sub-panel recruitment”.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY