Our civic and public engagement team: we create opportunity

Our team

Associate Professor in History and Impact

Dr Larissa Allwork is Researcher (Impact) in the University Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (URKEO). She is also a Historian who investigates how public institutions and societies engage with difficult, provocative or traumatic histories.

Professor Rhiannon Jones (FRSA)

Head of Civic and Communities

Professor Rhiannon Jones FRSA leads the University’s civic strategy and CivicLAB. She chairs Cumulus’ International Contemporary Working Art Group, is a UNESCO UK Learning Cities Stakeholder, PASCAL Associate, and Trustee for Bolton Gate Arts Farm and New Art Exchange. She is founding CEO of Designing Dialogue CIC, touring the award-winning S.H.E.D.

Professor Keith McLay

Deputy Vice Chancellor

Professor Keith McLay is the Deputy Vice Chancellor.

The University of Derby has a Civic and Communities Committee chaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor and a Civic Operations Board chaired by Professor Rhiannon Jones. There is also a University wide Civic Champion scheme open to staff and students. For more information please contact civic@derby.ac.uk

The profound economic and social change happening across the UK today makes the civic role of universities even more vital. As a team, we are committed to our work as a Civic Institution that locates people and place at the heart of all our decision making.

Ayisha Singadia

Executive Services Lead Co-ordinator

How to get involved: just ask

You can contact us for advice, or to find out more about how to get involved or to support our work. We have a wide range of local and national projects and long-standing partnerships with organisations. Together, we are committed to driving forward cultural change and committed to lifelong learning should be for everyone. We have a public engagement strategy and Civic University Agreement that underpins our commitment as a civic institution.

We also support business development and training and offer a wide range of opportunities for placements, live projects through public engagement, knowledge exchange and delivering research with impact.

If you would like to find out more about the University and its Civic University Agreement, please do get in touch. You can contact us at civic@derby.ac.uk.