Rate My Professor Gemma Derrick

Professor Gemma Derrick is a Professor in the School of Education at the University of Bristol. She holds a PhD and specialises in research policy and culture. Her research focuses on researcher behaviour, academic practice, research evaluation, societal impact, the research workforce and its governance, particularly peer review systems, and the politics and dynamics of knowledge production and translation. She has examined national audit frameworks such as the UK’s Research Excellence Framework and similar systems in other countries, analysing their effects on research outputs, researcher behaviour and wider research culture. Her work on the evaluation of societal impact from research through peer review has influenced policy development, funding decisions and academic practices, with contributions to international funding councils including the Academy of Finland, Research Council of Norway, Australian Research Council and Wellcome Trust.

Professor Derrick has published over 50 academic articles, monographs, research reports and policy briefs. She is a Visiting Professor at the University of Oslo and has held previous appointments including at Lancaster University. She founded the Women in Science Policy Network within the European Network of Indicator Designers and has advocated for initiatives such as the HiddenREF to recognise non-traditional research outputs. Her contributions include writings in Nature, Science, Research Fortnight, WONKHe and the LSE Impact Blog. She is involved in projects addressing research evaluation and culture, and her mentorship has supported doctoral students and research assistants who have advanced to academic and policy roles.