Professor Richard Ingram

Professor Richard Ingram joined the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Dundee in 2004. Prior to arriving at the University, he practiced as a social worker in a range of settings including children and families social work, educational social work and inter-disciplinary project work. These professional roles equipped Richard with the knowledge, skills and commitment to work towards inclusion, social justice and the formation of positive and impactful relationships with service users.

Richard has held a range of roles at the School of Education and Social Work which include module leader, programme director (BA and MSc Social Work) and Head of Taught Postgraduate Studies. These roles have allowed Richard to have a pivotal contribution to programme design, delivery and innovation across the key programmes in the School. He was the Associate Dean Internationalisation of the School of Education and Social Work for many years and is committed to expanding the global reach and relevancy of programmes, research and staff/student mobility.

Richard was the University Academic Regional Lead for East Asia from 2020-2024.. This role involved the leadership, coordination and development of the University of Dundee strategy for the region in terms of recruitment, partnerships, programme development and international student support.

In 2024, Richard was appointed to the role of Social Work Lead in the School of Humanities, Social Science and Law. He provides leadership across all social work activities including teaching, research, and external liaison. He represents the University of Dundee at the Scottish Heads of Social Work committee as well as being appointed in 2024 to chair the Social Work Education Partnership (SWEP) pre-qualifying delivery group.

Richard has established a strong research and scholarship profile. He achieved a PhD in 2013 which focussed on the role of emotions in social work practice. He has published at a national and international level in relation to relationship based practice, emotions and social work, reflective practice, pedagogy and the student experience. He was recently part of an international project exploring the synergies and differences between Scottish and African conceptions of social work and social work education. Richard was appointed Co-Editor in Chief of the Social Work Education: the international journal in 2020. This prestigious role involves the promotion and development of social work education knowledge and practices across the globe.

In 2023 Richard was promoted to Professor of Social Work. He has also recently been elected as UK/Scottish lead on the executive committee of the European Association of Schools of Social Work (EASSW) and international consultant for the Hong Kong Social Work Registration Board.

• Social work