Director of Insight and Engagement, Research England
Kim Hackett is the Director of Insight and Engagement at Research England.
Kim leads engagement with the higher education sector and other stakeholders, building insight and knowledge to inform Research England’s policy and funding interventions.
Kim joined the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2009 and gained a range of experience in policy development in the areas of research assessment and funding policy. She was involved in the early development and initial implementation of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF 2014) exercise, before taking up roles in wider research policy and leading the evaluation of REF 2014.
In 2015, Kim took up a post as a senior government social researcher in the area of equality and inclusion with the Welsh Government before returning to HEFCE in 2017. Kim’s previous roles at Research England include Associate Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and REF Director, where she was responsible for delivering the REF 2021 exercise. The REF 2021 team was based at Research England and managed the exercise on behalf of the four UK higher education funding bodies.
Kim’s academic background is in the humanities. She has a degree in history from the University of St Andrews, and a PhD in history from the University of York. Kim also has a masters in policy research from the University of Bristol.
Last updated: 23 May 2024