In her new position, Jennifer Hudson will play a key role in elevating the academic purpose of UCL to the top of the decision-making process and making sure that the academic community’s voice is heard loud and clear in all significant institutional discussions.
Professor Hudson, who is currently dean of UCL’s faculty of social and historical sciences, came to the university in 2004 as a research methods lecturer from the University of California. After that, she developed partnerships with numerous outside organizations and governmental bodies to advance evidence-based policymaking, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council, Danish Council for Independent Research, Nuffield Foundation and Leverhulme Trust. She went on to have a very successful academic and leadership career at UCL.
Her major projects have been the founding of the UCL Q-Step Center, a cross-faculty endeavor to bring about a revolutionary shift in quantitative social science methods and the Development Engagement Lab, a collaborative effort with the University of Birmingham that she also directed and which works with over thirty international non-governmental organizations and government agencies on public opinion and development support. Prior to her appointment as dean in 2022, she held positions as head of the political science department, deputy dean of the social and historical sciences and vice-dean (EDI).
President and Provost Dr. Michael Spence congratulated her on her appointment and said, “We are immensely fortunate to have such a purposeful, collaborative, and capable academic leader appointed to this crucial position. Jennifer possesses an in-depth comprehension of the prospects and obstacles confronting UCL and the broader industry, together with a forward-thinking approach to strategy that is essential to realizing our academic aspirations. As Dean, she brought a tremendous deal of wisdom and critical thought to UCL’s leadership team and I am excited to collaborate with her in her new role.
