Gill Valentine

Prior to taking up the role of Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Gill was inspirational in her role as Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences. She developed a leadership team who defined a set of interdisciplinary thematic priorities for the Faculty, quadrupled its research income, produced creative innovations in learning and teaching and developed a set of strategic international partnerships aligned with funding priorities.

Gill returned to the University of Sheffield in September 2012 having previously worked here from 1994 to 2004 as a lecturer, senior lecturer and professor in the Department of Geography. In between Gill was Head of the School of Geography at the University of Leeds where she also served as Director of the Leeds Social Science Institute. In addition, Gill has held academic posts at the Universities of Manchester and Reading. Before settling into an academic career Gill trained as a journalist, working for Haymarket Publications and BBC Wales.

Gill's research interests are focused in three interconnected areas: diversity and social inclusion; childhood, parenting and family life; and urban cultures and consumption. Although she trained as a geographer, much of Gill's work has been interdisciplinary involving collaboration with social science colleagues from Departments of: Education, Sociology and Social Policy, Information Studies and Theology and Religious Studies. Gill has held international visiting fellowships at University of Sydney, Australia and University of Otago, New Zealand and has served in a number of international advisory roles including, for example, as a member of a Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities (QANU) research assessment committee and as an external assessor for the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal.