Professor Lisanne Gibson

Professor Lisanne Gibson has occupied the role of Vice Principal for Research at the University of Dundee since September 2023.

Professor Gibson was formerly Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities at Loughborough University, a position she held from April 2021. While in this role Professor Gibson led the review and redesign of the University’s promotion criteria for Teaching and Research academic staff refocusing those criteria on the recognition of excellent performance across different academic career pathways, the recognition and reward of collegial behaviour, and ensuring that criteria and processes for academic promotion were informed at all stages by a concern to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion.

Prior to Loughborough Professor Gibson held senior research leadership positions including as Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Leicester from 2019, in which role she led the design and submission of their highly successful 2021 Research Excellence Framework submission. From 2015 to 2019 she was Dean of Research in the College of Social Sciences Arts and Humanities also at Leicester in which role she implemented systems of research development, support and performance management which resulted in Leicester’s Panel D (arts and humanities) being the top ranked Panel D return in REF2021.

Professor Gibson held competitively awarded research fellowships at New York University and Princeton University in the United States and Griffith and Melbourne Universities in Australia before joining the world leading University of Leicester School of Museum Studies in 2005.

Professor Gibson is a specialist in the study of the relations between culture and 'the social'. She researches across the fields of heritage and museum studies, cultural and cultural policy studies, cultural geography, and sociology. Her research advances understanding of the societal effects of historic and contemporary cultural investment, especially in relation to urban development; policy and value; and vernacular cultural heritage. She has published many high impact publications including four books and been PI on competitively awarded research grants totalling over £3million. Professor Gibson is a long-standing editorial board member of the peak journal in her field International Journal of Cultural Policy and co-editor of the book series Palgrave Studies in Cultural Participation. She has Chaired and been a member of research advisory committees and funding panels for a number of research funding councils including the AHRC, ESRC, British Academy, and Norwegian Funding Council.