Gemma Derrick

Gemma’s research concentrates on science and innovation policy and its impacts. These include on the health system, the culture of academic, knowledge production and universities more broadly. She also conducts research into the evaluation of competing notions of research excellence in academia, including scientific impact, societal impact and interdisciplinary.

She specialises in evaluation systems in academia, in particular, peer review, research evaluation frameworks and university audit exercises. This includes the UK’s Research Excellence Frameworks and similar conceptualisations in other countries within Europe, the US and Australia, especially for the health and medical research fields. She is also focused on the types of cultures the proliferation of these evaluation systems leave behind, how this influences how researchers work, and the types of knowledge produced.

Currently, Gemma is also involved in research investigating the role of gender and work-life balance in the productivity and reward systems of research; as well as the influence in bias within evaluation processes. Gemma is also a leading member of the COMbINE network (Complementary Methods in Evaluation Research). She is also a UK-representative for the Eu-COST Action ENRESSH (Evaluative Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities), as well as serving on the Steering Committee for the World Health Organisations Evidence Informed Policy Network (WHO EVIPNet) with special responsibilities for Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Advocacy and Impact.

In addition, Gemma has also been the Section Editor for Health and Research Policy for the journal PLOSOne since 2011. She has been a past holder of the ESRC Future Research Leader Fellowship, as well as the British Academy Rising Star Engagement Award.