The Humanities Council and the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University have appointed Professor Andrew Huddleston as a Long-Term Visiting Fellow. During his Fellowship, which will commence in the Autumn of 2022, Professor Huddleston will be teaching a graduate seminar as well as continuing to undertake research on his book about the religious aspirations of art during the period from Early German Romanticism through Modernism.

Professor Huddleston is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Research in Post-Kantian European Philosophy, and specialises particularly in 19th and 20th century European Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Ethics.

https://humanities.princeton.edu/2022/05/13/council-announces-2022-23-long-term-and-short-term-visitors/

The Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce an impressive set of results for the REF 2021 assessment of Research Excellence. 48% of our research outputs (e.g., books, book chapters, and articles) were assessed as 4* (world leading); 45% of our overall submission was also assessed as 4* (so, that includes research outputs, research impact (non-academic change/effect/benefit based on our research), and our research environment). Altogether, this is an excellent outcome for the Philosophy Department, and an achievement that the Department plans to build on in the future.

 The UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) is an internationally recognised system for assessing the quality of research carried out in UK Higher Education Institutions.

99% of the Department of Economics' research has been rated world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) overall in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Ranked 2nd in the
Research Excellence Framework.

Discover our Research Impact

99% of the Department of Economics' research has been rated world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) overall in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

The REF results, released on Thursday 12 May 2022, place the Department as 2nd in the UK for overall research quality in the discipline of Economics and Econometrics, according to rankings of institutions by Grade Point Average (GPA)* published by Times Higher Education. Submissions to the REF are made by institutions and assessed by subject-level expert panels in three key areas:

• The quality of research outputs in terms of their originality, significance and rigour (accounting for 60% of the overall outcome)
• The reach and significance of research impact beyond academia (25%)
• The vitality and sustainability of the environment that supports research (15%).

The weighting of these elements forms the overall quality profile. Each area is rated as 4*, 3*, 2*, 1* or unclassified.

Key highlights from REF 2021

Outputs

• The Department ranks 3rd in the UK for quality of research output in Economics and Econometrics, according to Times Higher Education.
• 98% of the Department’s submitted research outputs are rated 4* (world-leading) or 3* (internationally excellent).

Impact

• The Department ranks 2nd for impact in the UK.
• 80% of the Department’s impact is rated 4* (outstanding) and 20% is 3* (very considerable).

The assessment was based on the submission of impact case studies, which describe specific examples of how the Department’s research has made a positive difference to the economy, society and quality of life beyond academia.

Read more and watch short videos about the impact of our work.

Environment

• The Department ranks 3rd for research environment in the UK.
• 87.5% of the Department’s environment submission is rated 4* (conducive to producing research of world-leading quality and enabling outstanding impact).

The assessment considered a wide range of factors including:

• How research is structured in the Department
• Strategies for research, impact, staffing and staff development
• Research income, infrastructure and facilities
• Collaborations and contributions to the research base, economy and society.

Find out more about our research.

Learn more about our comprehensive MRes/PhD programme.

Commenting on the results, Head of Department Professor Jeremy Smith, said: “These results reinforce our position as one of the leading departments in the UK for economics.”

“Our strong performance in the REF reflects the incredibly hard work of staff from across the whole Department in conducting and supporting the production of innovative research that pushes the boundaries of the discipline. That this research is also shaping policy as indicated by the evaluation of the impact case studies is also very gratifying.”

“We are extremely proud of this achievement and look forward to building on our strategy for developing research excellence in the coming years.”

Professor Carlo Perroni, Research Director for the Department, said: “The Department of Economics at the University of Warwick is home to a vibrant and diverse research environment that produces relevant and exciting work across all major sub-fields of economics.”

“We are proud of our researchers and of our PhD students, and we are pleased that the REF result recognises the value of what we do.”

About the REF

The REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It is led by the four UK higher education funding bodies: Research England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

REF results inform the allocation of public research funding and are used in university league tables and benchmarking. The process ensures accountability for public investment in research and provides evidence of the benefits of this investment.

Notes on rankings

*Grade Point Average (GPA) is a measure of average quality of research. It is calculated by multiplying the percentage of 4* research by four, 3* research by three, 2* research by two and 1* research by one. The totals are added together and divided by 100 to give an average overall star-rating.

The Philosophy Department are delighted to announce that Adina Covaci (Teaching Fellow) and Kirk Surgener (Associate Professor and Director of Student Experience and Progression, PPE) have both been shortlisted for the Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence 2022. The Awards recognise colleagues with outstanding teaching skills who have made a significant impact on teaching and student engagement over the past academic year. Congratulations to Adina and Kirk on their well-deserved nomination, and their outstanding contribution to the Department in 2021/22.

Winners will be announced on 27 June 2022. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/academic-development/wate/shortlistcategories/

Teaching Fellow, Massimiliano Lacertosa, has been appointed as a new Associate Fellow of the Warwick Institute of Engagement, in recognition of his work in promoting a more inclusive engagement approach to the discipline of Philosophy.  Massimiliano (Max) is pro-actively committed to both the diversification and decolonisation of the curriculum and has delivered popular new modules on World Philosophies and Chinese Philosophy in the Department.

The WIE aims to continually improve how the University engages with the public, key influencers and decision makers, and actively seeks ways on how best to communicate effectively with these groups and beyond.

The Newton International Fellowship scheme has launched for 2022. The Fellowships enable researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of fostering long-term international collaborations. The scheme aims to attract early career postdoctoral researchers from overseas in the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities.

Warwick Philosophy Department are very happy to support applications from suitably qualified candidates, but potential applicants are asked to send a CV to Guy Longworth (g.h.longworth@warwick.ac.uk) for approval, prior to completing an application. Further support will also be provided ahead of the deadline on 16 March.

More details are available online: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/newton-international-fellowships/

Professor Quassim Cassam participated in a recent edition of BBC Radio 4’s flagship debating programme, The Moral Maze, exploring the topical theme of Expectations and Apologies.

“Anthropology tells us that the basic rules of morality are universal. But socialists say that cultural norms dictate how we are to behave, and Britain is culturally diverse…perhaps we should live with our politicians’ clay feet and look elsewhere for paragons of moral virtue?” (BBC website) 

The link to the programme is here: BBC Radio 4 - Moral Maze, The Rules - Expectations and Apologies

Hegel on Being is a comprehensive study of the first part of Hegel’s Science of Logic — the “doctrine of being” — by Stephen Houlgate and published by Bloomsbury Academic Publishers (in two volumes). Based on many years of research and teaching, this new book examines the purpose and method of Hegel’s Logic and explains in detail Hegel’s derivation of the categories of quality, quantity and measure. It also contains an original account of Hegel’s critique of Kant (including Kant’s antinomies) and an extensive comparative study of Hegel and Frege.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/hegel-on-being-9781350190689/

Professor Quassim Cassam has been appointed an Honorary Fellow of Keble College, Oxford. Professor Cassam graduated from Keble College with a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1979, and has written extensively on self-knowledge, perception, intellectual vice and conspiracy theories. Professor Cassam’s new book on Extremism: A Philosophical Analysis’ has just been published by Routledge (September 2021).

Five New Honorary Fellows Elected - Keble College (ox.ac.uk)

The Department of Philosophy has been ranked in an impressive third place (by subject) in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2022.The University of Warwick has also been recognised as the best University in the UK for quality of teaching and is ranked as runner up in the University of the Year Award. These outstanding results reflect the dedication and commitment by both the Philosophy Department and the whole Warwick community in the face of the unprecedented challenges posed in recent months by the coronavirus pandemic.

Warwick named University of the Year for Teaching Quality