Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams to join Birmingham as new Head of the College of Social Sciences

The University of Birmingham has appointed Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences to lead an ambitious global strategy. 

Professor Vaughan-Williams, currently Vice-Provost and Chair of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Warwick, will take up his new role on 15 April 2024. Joining the University of Birmingham as Professor of International Politics, he is an interdisciplinary social scientist whose teaching and research – supported by grants from the British Academy, UK Economic and Social Research Council and Leverhulme Trust – focus on the international politics of migration, borders and security.  

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham said: “Nick has an outstanding track record as a scholar and an educator. He brings substantial leadership experience and a clear vision for the College of Social Sciences’ future and its contribution to our ambitions for research, education, civic engagement and global influence. I am delighted to have him join our senior team.” 

Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams said: “With its ambitious 2030 strategy, authentic commitment to social responsibility, and major investment in 125th Anniversary Fellows and Chairs, now is an exciting time to be joining the University of Birmingham. The College of Social Sciences has a critical role to play in tackling the socio-economic challenges of the 21st century by educating future leaders and producing research that matters. 

“As Head of College, I look forward to working collaboratively with staff and students to position the College as an intellectually open, inclusive, and vibrant destination of choice for social scientists the world over – whether you are a school leaver, visiting policy practitioner, or Professor at the pinnacle of your career.” 

Professor Vaughan-Williams is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Chair of the Academy’s Forum for Leaders of Social Sciences. Listed in the Stanford ‘Top 2% of world-leading scientists’, he is a former recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize for outstanding research in Politics and International Studies and Gold Winner of the Association for Borderlands Studies Past Presidents' Book Award.

Author or co-author of six books, his latest research monograph is Vernacular Border Security: Citizens’ Narratives of Europe’s “Migration Crisis” published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. His research findings have informed the UK Cabinet Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Home Office, the EU Commission and Frontex, and the Maltese Presidency.

Former leadership roles at the University of Warwick include three years as Vice-Provost and Chair of the Faculty of Social Sciences, five years as Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies and five years as Director of the MA in International Relations.

Before joining the University of Warwick in 2010, Professor Vaughan-Williams held lectureships at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the University of Exeter. Educated at an English comprehensive school, he completed an undergraduate degree in Modern History at the University of Oxford, MA in International Relations at the University of Warwick, and a PhD in International Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

The University of Birmingham’s College of Social Sciences brings together more than 450 academics, including 90 professors, across a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. The College’s work impacts all areas of society and is grounded in the key disciplines of business, economics, education, government and society, and social policy.