Professor Derek McGhee

Derek McGhee holds a BSC (Sociology from The University of Plymouth), a MA (Cultural Studies) and a PhD (Socio-Legal Studies, funded by the ESRC) from Lancaster University.

Professor McGhee joined the University of Stirling in January 2022, arriving from Keele University where he was the Faculty Dean of Research for Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Director of the Institute for Social Inclusion.

Previous to joining Keele University in 2018, he was Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Southampton, where he had been for 18 years. He was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts in 2015 and a Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2016, in recognition of his contribution to the disciplines of Social Policy and Sociology.

His research interests concern citizenship, identity and governance. Professor McGhee has conducted research in the UK, China, the Middle East and in South America.

Recent work has covered EU migration to and settlement in the UK (primarily focusing on post-accession Polish migration to the UK, funded through the ESRC Centre for Population Change); the relationship between active ageing and community governance in China (through examining the emergence of ‘moral hospitals’ in China, funded through the Shanghai University of Politics and Law) and the process of creating a closer relationship between lived experiences and evidence-based policy making (in the context of the declarations of poverty emergencies in England, funded through Research England and UKRI Enhancing Place-Based Partnerships Programme).

Responsibilities

The Dean of Faculty is the senior academic officer of the Faculty, responsible for all aspects of its academic performance. The Dean is the accountable manager of all staff within their Faculty, and as such is responsible for the effective management of staff and their performance and for the discharge of all responsibilities and duties devolved to the Faculty. The role is supported by a Faculty Manager who is the primary support role within the Faculty.

The Dean of Faculty contributes to the effective management of the University and represents their Faculty both within and outside the University. They are responsible for effective communications with staff within their Faculty and promote and execute institutional strategies and plans.