Dr Steven Hill

Director of Research at Research England

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Steven Hill is Director of Research at Research England. Steven was formerly Head of Research Policy at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and leads on all aspects of research policy and funding.

Steven is responsible for research funding, including quality-related funding (QR), general capital funding and the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). He also leads Research England's research assessment and policy work, and is the chair of the steering group for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). Policy responsibilities include research integrity, public engagement and open research, and Steven contributes to debates and discussions at home and overseas on the enhancement and assessment of research impact. His team also includes Research England's analysis function.

Steven has a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in plant biology from the University of Edinburgh. After a number of research posts, he was appointed to a lectureship in plant science at the University of Oxford, where he taught and researched for eight years. He then shifted career tracks into the world of policy-making, with two roles at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, focusing on bringing science and research into policymaking. Subsequently, he was appointed Head of the Strategy Unit at Research Councils UK, and then took up the post of Head of Research Policy at HEFCE in 2013.