FOUR Oxford Brookes academics appointed to a panel assessing quality of research in the UK from more than 4,000 applications.

The first set of panel members for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) has been announced which will assess the output of universities.

Those appointed from Oxford Brookes for the criteria phase are professor Lucy Vickers, professor Gary Browning, professor Simon Kövesi. and Dr Marcel Vellinga.

The panel members include leading researchers and individuals with expertise in the wider use and benefits of research, as well as members with an international perspective.

Professor Linda King, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Global Partnerships, said: “I am very pleased that four of our academics have been selected as panel members which is a testament to the strength of research here at Oxford Brookes.

“Their knowledge, expertise and insight will play a valuable role in developing and taking forward the forthcoming assessment of research excellence across the UK.”

Further appointments to the panels will be made at a later date to ensure the sub-panels have an appropriate breadth of expertise and volume of panel members necessary for the assessment phase.

This will be informed by a survey of institutions’ submission intentions to be carried out in 2019.

Their initial work will be to develop criteria by criteria ahead of the main assessment phase before full evaluations are made.