Appointment of The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and

University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Appointment of
The Blavatnik Professorship of
Government and Public Policy
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Contents
The Blavatnik School of Government
10 The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
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University of Oxford
12 Appointment process and how to apply
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Division of Social Sciences
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Nuffield College
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Executive summary
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Executive summary
The Blavatnik School of Government (BSG) at the University of Oxford is a global, practice-focused, multidisciplinary school that aims to inspire and support better public policy and government around the world.
The School now seeks to appoint an outstanding teacher,
accomplished research scholar and committed institution
builder, who is passionate about improving government
globally, to the Blavatnik Professorship of Government and
Public Policy. The post has been created through the
generous support of the Blavatnik Foundation.
The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public
Policy will provide academic leadership in research in the
field of government and public policy. She or he will be an
inspirational teacher who will make a significant
contribution to the planning and delivery of innovative
academic programmes in the BSG. The successful candidate
will join a growing team of outstanding academics and
support staff at a formative stage in the development of
this dynamic new School.
The ideal candidate will be a scholar of international
distinction with an exceptional track record of research in
government at national or international level that is aligned
with the School’s commitment to practical education and
research. Candidates will have a demonstrable ability to
undertake world-class, original research, a commitment to
the practice-focused and genuinely global character of the
School, and an enthusiasm for engagement with students,
colleagues, policymakers, practitioners and the public.
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
The Blavatnik School of
Government
The Blavatnik School of Government (BSG) is a global school pursuing a vision of a world better led, better served
and better governed. BSG is one of the youngest and most vibrant departments of the University of Oxford.
It was founded in 2010, thanks to a £75 million donation by
American philanthropist Leonard Blavatnik. Uniquely, the
School is anchored across all four of the academic divisions of
the University: the social sciences; humanities; mathematics,
physical and life sciences; and medical sciences.
The School’s goal is to improve the quality of government
and public policy-making worldwide, so that citizens can
enjoy more secure and more fulfilled lives. It is pursuing this
goal through three priorities:
• Teaching: delivering transformative teaching
programmes that combine deep expertise with analytical
thinking and practical skills.
• Research: producing and communicating rigorous applied
research, often in collaboration with public and private
sector innovators, which addresses urgent policy
challenges.
• Engagement: forging networks that enable policy
leaders to learn from each other and from top scholars to
generate solutions and share best practice.
An iconic purpose-built home for the School in the
University’s new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter will be
completed in September 2015.
Teaching programmes
The School has three education programmes:
• The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is an intensive
one-year graduate degree, taking a broad view of how
public policy is made, implemented and evaluated at
local, regional and global levels. The School actively seeks
out the smartest, most impactful future and current
practitioners from every region of the world and builds a
strong, purposeful community among them.
• The Doctorate in Public Policy (DPhil) is a full-time
three-year applied research degree. The School seeks
scholars keen to pursue academically rigorous applied
research on a public policy issue.
• The School’s short courses, workshops, and fellows’
programmes offer opportunities for senior professionals
and policymakers to access cutting-edge research, to
reflect on their own experience, and to develop a
community of practice with peers from other countries.
For further details, visit www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/study
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Research programmes
The School is continuing to appoint outstanding scholars
who are leading dynamic research programmes in areas
including: economic growth and resilience; governance,
democracy, cooperation and law; health, education, welfare
and well-being; science, technology, climate change and
public policy; security and conflict. The School also draws
on extensive intellectual networks both within Oxford and
internationally to ensure it keeps at the cutting-edge of
inter-disciplinary and global knowledge and on crosssector partnerships with individuals and organisations to
remain practice-oriented and solution-focused.
The School recognises that there are many different forms
of leadership, a range of views about democracy, and
diverse cultures in which people operate. Equally, there is a
variety of methods and disciplines which can be used to
interrogate challenges of government. That is why the
research in the School spans the local to the global, and
several disciplines, in terms of the types of challenges
addressed and the ways in which they are approached.
• The School’s research reaches practitioners in a number
of ways including:
- BSG academics regularly advise governments and
agencies on how to address their policy challenges.
• BSG’s Policy Memo series aims to provide clear, succinct
and timely recommendations for policymakers in the UK
and internationally:
- The School shares latest research, opinions and insights
of its academics with wide audiences through features
and comments in the press, as well as its social media
streams.
- Students are active and engaged in efforts to connect
with other Oxford students, alumni, practitioners and
others far beyond BSG, as they seek to bring about
positive change in their fields of interest.
• BSG holds a wide range of events that allow the sharing
and exchange of knowledge with specialist audiences and
the wider public:
- The annual Challenges of Government Conference
brings on board key partners to help ensure it remains
a free and open event for a cross-sector audience of
academics, students, business people, government,
and civil society leaders.
- The “Improving Governance, Delivering Better
Education” conference, hosted by BSG and funded by
DFID, brings together academics, policymakers, and
donors working in the field of education, as well as
experts from other sectors.
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Exceptional people
BSG has already developed an outstanding reputation for
excellence in teaching and research. As part of the
University of Oxford, the School’s growing faculty includes
world-class academics and practitioners, as well as a team
of up-and-rising postdoctoral fellows. The excellent team
of administrative staff is just as committed to BSG’s vision
as the faculty and students they support.
The School is led by Professor Ngaire Woods, the inaugural
Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government and Professor
of Global Economic Governance. There are currently around
30 faculties and researchers amongst the core academic
team of the School, including seven full Professors, and
more will be recruited over the next five years and beyond.
A further 30 academics from across the University are
associated with the School through teaching on the MPP or
collaborating on research projects. A strong team of
distinguished global practitioners and researchers make up
the BSG’s academic and international advisory boards. (See
www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/international-advisory-board)
Leonard Blavatnik
Leonard Blavatnik is an American citizen who is now a
resident in London. He has long taken a close and active
interest in higher education.
He has degrees from Columbia and Harvard Universities,
and sits on academic boards at Harvard University, the
University of Cambridge, Tel Aviv University and the New
Economic School in Moscow. He is also on the Board of
Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences where he
sponsors the annual Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists.
An active philanthropist, Leonard Blavatnik and the
Blavatnik Family Foundation have been generous supporters
of numerous organisations in the United States, Russia and
Israel. In Britain, they have also provided substantial help to
the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy,
the Royal Opera House, the Royal Academy of Engineering,
Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Prince’s Trust, and
numerous other leading cultural and charitable institutions.
As Chairman of Access Industries, which he founded in
1986, Mr Blavatnik is a leading industrialist, with global
interests in natural resources and chemicals, media and
telecommunications, and real estate.
His donation to found the School will amount to £75 million
initially, and he is ready to consider additional measures of
support at a later stage. He is personally committed to the
success of the School.
Further details about BSG’s people can be found at
www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
University of Oxford
Oxford is one of the world’s pre-eminent universities. It is the oldest university in the English-speaking world
and it has been at the forefront of knowledge for centuries. Today, the University employs 12,500 people and
its annual income is more than £1.1 billion.
For the eight years to 2014, the University has consistently
had the highest research income from external sponsors of
any UK university by an expanding margin. In addition to
excelling at research, the University aims to provide a
transformational educational experience.
The University of Oxford aims to sustain excellence in every
area of its teaching and research, and to maintain and
develop its position as a leader amongst world-class
universities. Placing an equally high value on research and
on teaching, the colleges, departments and faculties of
Oxford aspire both to lead the international research
agenda and to offer a unique and exceptional education to
their undergraduate and graduate students.
Oxford’s self-governing community of scholars includes
university professors, readers, and associate professors,
college tutors, senior and junior research fellows and over
2,500 other university research staff. The University aims
to provide facilities and support for colleagues to pursue
innovative research and outstanding teaching, by
responding to developments in the intellectual environment
and society at large, and by forging close links with the
wider academic world, the professions, industry and
commerce. The Strategic Plan, detailing strategy for the
period 2013-18, can be found at
www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation/strategic-plan
Oxford is a collegiate university, with 38 independent and
self-governing colleges and six permanent private halls related
to the University in a type of federal system. The University’s
distinctive structure is a great strength. The tutorial system,
which is a key facet of undergraduate teaching and learning at
Oxford, underpins a culture of close academic supervision and
careful personal support for students. It is designed to
challenge and empower students to become independent
thinkers. There is, in addition, a close and important
relationship between research and teaching at Oxford,
undergraduates being encouraged to engage in advanced
research projects and many of the most distinguished
academic researchers being involved in undergraduate
tutorials. The ability and intellectual independence of Oxford’s
undergraduates and academics alike renders this nexus
something that is inspirational for all participants.
There are more than 22,000 students from more than 130
countries and territories at Oxford, and there is a strong
postgraduate community of around 10,000 students,
which is nearly 45 per cent of all full-time students.
Postgraduates are attracted to Oxford by the international
standing of the faculty, by the rigorous intellectual training
on offer, by the excellent research and laboratory facilities
available, and by the resources of the museums and
libraries, including one of the world’s greatest libraries,
the Bodleian.
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Division of Social Sciences
The Blavatnik School of Government sits within the University’s Division of Social Sciences.
The University’s academic departments and faculties are
organised into four large groups, known as Academic
Divisions (Social Sciences, Mathematical, Physical and Life
Sciences (MPLS), Medical Sciences, and Humanities). The
four academic divisions are each led by a senior academic,
each of whom, as Head of Division, is an ex officio member
of the University’s Council. The Head of the Social Sciences
Division is Professor Roger Goodman.
The Social Sciences Division is responsible for academic
oversight of the teaching and research of its various
departments and faculties, for strategic and operational
planning, and for personnel and resource management.
Thirteen departments, one faculty, and two cross-divisional
research units come under the aegis of the Social Sciences
Division which spans the full range of social science
disciplines with links into the humanities and physical
sciences. (These are as follows: Law, the Said Business
School, Economics, Politics and International Relations,
the Blavatnik School of Government, the School of
Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, International
Development, Sociology, Social Policy and Intervention, the
Oxford Internet Institute, Archaeology, the School of
Interdisciplinary Area Studies, Education, the School of
Geography and the Environment, the Oxford Martin School
and the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance.)
There are nearly 1,000 academic staff, 3,400 graduate
students (postgraduate taught and postgraduate research),
and 1,900 undergraduates working and studying in
the division.
The division is established as a world-leading centre for
research in the social sciences and regularly sits at the
highest levels of international league tables. The Social
Science Division’s externally funded research income is
budgeted at £40 million per year. It is the largest grouping
of social science disciplines in the UK and it is also home to
several of Oxford’s most widely recognised teaching
programmes, such as Philosophy, Politics and Economics
(PPE) and the MPhils in International Relations, in
Economics, and in Development Studies. We believe that
excellence in teaching and research is synergistic and
remain committed to sustaining and developing the high
quality of our activities in both these areas. Our
departments are committed to research which develops a
greater understanding of all aspects of society, from the
impact of political, legal and economic systems on social
and economic welfare to human rights and security.
That research is disseminated through innovative graduate
programmes and enhances undergraduate courses.
For more information please visit:
www.ox.ac.uk/divisions/social_sciences.html
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Nuffield College
The 38 self-governing and independent colleges at Oxford give both academic staff and students the benefits
of belonging to a small, interdisciplinary community as well as to a large, internationally-renowned institution.
The collegiate system fosters a strong sense of community,
bringing together leading academics and students across
subjects, and from different cultures and countries.
Nuffield is a postgraduate college specialising in the social
sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology.
It is a relatively small college, with a total student body of
around 90, of whom about 35 are resident in College.
It admits around 30 students a year. It has 36 permanent
Fellows (senior members) and 56 members of staff.
In addition, the College has an active and expanding
Research Fellowship programme, and hosts a number of
research centres and programmes, including the Centre for
Experimental Social Science (directed by Ray Duch) and the
Centre for Social Investigation (directed by Anthony
Heath). The College currently has 47 Research Fellows on
short-term contracts. Nuffield, by its structure and
resources, provides a uniquely attractive environment to
work. Students, staff and Fellows share meal facilities.
It is an international College, whose students are in
residence throughout the year.
The College runs research seminars, with speakers drawn
widely, and an active international visitors programme.
It has extensive contacts with the worlds of politics, media,
and the City. Among the College’s Visiting Fellows are the
Chairman of the Open Society Institute, the Second
Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury, three MPs, and the
Director of Liberty.
It is the aim of the College to provide for all Fellows a
stimulating environment for research and teaching,
and one which facilitates the carrying out of their duties.
All Professorial Fellows are full members of Governing Body
(i.e. trustees), and have a working study in College, which is
connected to the College computer network. A range of
resources is provided to assist Fellows with their research
and teaching, including administrative assistance and a
substantial allowance for research expenses, including
computing equipment. Fellows have access to rooms for
organising seminars, teaching, entertaining, and for
overnight accommodation for professional colleagues.
The College Library, to which approximately five per cent of
the College’s annual expenditure is devoted, contains
around 190,000 items. The extensive collection of material
in the Library is intended to meet the coursework and
research needs of the College. In its composition it reflects
the interests of the College. Nuffield provides extensive
computing facilities and support. The College has a
dedicated IT department, with three experienced staff.
There is also a part-time Data Librarian who organises and
facilitates access to a large, active collection of significant
secondary data, and is very experienced in smoothing
Fellows’ acquisition and use of such data.
Further information about the College can be found at
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
The Blavatnik Professor of
Government and Public Policy
The School seeks to appoint an outstanding teacher, accomplished research scholar and committed institution
builder, who is passionate about improving government globally, to the position of Blavatnik Professor of
Government and Public Policy.
The post has been created through the generous support
of the Blavatnik Foundation. The successful candidate will
provide academic leadership in research and teaching in the
field of government and public policy. She or he will be an
inspirational teacher who will contribute to the planning and
delivery of the School’s innovative academic programmes.
The appointee will join a growing team of outstanding
academics and support staff at a formative stage in the
development of this dynamic new School.
The ideal candidate will be a scholar of international
distinction with an exceptional track record of research in
the practice of government at national and/or international
level. Candidates will have a demonstrable ability to lead
original research, a commitment to the practice-focused
and genuinely global character of the School, and
enthusiasm for engagement with students, colleagues,
policymakers and practitioners and the media.
The Blavatnik Professor of Government and Public Policy
will be a member of both the University and the College
community. She or he will be part of a lively and intellectually
stimulating research community that performs to the highest
international levels in research and publications; and will have
access to the excellent research facilities that Oxford offers.
Along with the other professorial fellows in Nuffield, she or
he will be a member of the College’s Governing Body.
The main duties of the post are as follows:
• to provide leadership in research and teaching on the
policy and practice of government at national and/or
international level;
• to play a leading role in the strategy and development of
the School’s research programme in government and
public policy;
• to contribute to the overall development of the School’s
profile as a world-leading provider of public policy
education, training and research of the highest academic
standard;
• to contribute to the design and delivery of the School’s
academic programmes, including the Master in Public
Policy (MPP) degree and the executive education
programme;
• to supervise students taking the DPhil in Public Policy;
• to take part in examining as required by the Dean;
• to undertake administrative duties for the School as
required by the Dean;
• to participate in the life of the College.
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Selection criteria
Applications will be judged only against the criteria that are
set out below. Applicants should make sure that their
application shows very clearly how they believe that their
skills and experience meet these criteria.
Oxford is committed to fairness, consistency and
transparency in selection decisions. Chairs of selection
committees (known as electoral boards) will be aware of
the principles of equality of opportunity and fair selection
and there will be both male and female board members
wherever possible. The successful candidate will
demonstrate the following:
• excellent international reputation in scholarship and
research and exceptional publication record in the field of
government and public policy, with emphasis on the
policy and practice of government at national and/or
international level;
• demonstrable ability to play a leading role in the field of
government and public policy nationally and internationally;
• strong record in obtaining research funding and in
strategic planning for future funding opportunities;
• ability to contribute effectively to the long-term
development of the academic and research programmes
at the Blavatnik School;
• commitment to providing effective, innovative and
inspirational teaching at graduate level;
• ability to communicate effectively (written and orally);
• experience of university governance and management,
and of academic administration;
• track record of policy advice to governments and
non-governmental agencies;
• a willingness to participate in the administrative and
academic life of a small College community.
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University of Oxford | The Blavatnik Professorship of Government and Public Policy
Appointment process and how to apply
An executive search exercise is being undertaken by Perrett
Laver, who will support the University in helping to identify
the widest possible field of qualified candidates and
assisting in the assessment of candidates against the
requirements for the roles.
Applications should consist of a full CV detailing academic
and professional qualifications, full employment history,
latest remuneration and relevant achievements, and should
be accompanied by a covering letter describing briefly how
candidates meet the criteria in the ‘person specification’,
why the appointment is of interest and what they believe
they can bring to the role, and a statement describing past
research and plans for future research at the Blavatnik
School of Government.
This information can be uploaded at www.perrettlaver.
com/candidates quoting the reference number 1927.
Deadline for applications: Tuesday 2 June 2015.
Questions about the post may be directed to Perrett Laver
via ivan.costantino@perrettlaver.com, or on +44 (0) 207
340 6210.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for formal interview
with the Electoral Board, and negotiations will ensue
thereafter with the preferred candidate.
Equal opportunities at the
University of Oxford
As an Equal Opportunity employer, Oxford positively
encourages applications from people of different
backgrounds. The policy and practice of the University of
Oxford require that all staff are afforded equal
opportunities within employment. Entry into employment
with the University and progression within employment will
be determined only by personal merit and the application of
criteria which are related to the duties of each particular
post and the relevant salary structure.
In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary
consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant
or member of staff will be treated less favourably than
another because of age, disability, gender reassignment,
marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race,
religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
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