Institutional engagement
At Research England we recognise the importance of working in partnership with the universities and other HE providers that we fund. The knowledge and insights that we get from working with you help us to make better policy choices and to advocate more effectively for the support we provide. It is only through sustained and meaningful engagement and dialogue with the HE sector that we can deliver on our aim to support world-class university research and knowledge exchange that has significant benefits for our economy and society.
Our engagement is guided by our Institutions Engagement Strategy and accompanying Engagement Strategy Equality Impact Assessment (EIA).
Our team of institutional engagement managers will work with your institution to help us understand the outcomes that our funding and policy choices are delivering, and opportunities and challenges you face. Your assigned institutional engagement manager will provide your institution with a dedicated point of engagement with Research England, complementing and strengthening the existing relationships that we have with you.
You can search for the institution engagement manager for your institution below.
Institution engagement managers

Jill Downey
Jill Downey
Jill joined the higher education sector in 2018, bringing 22 years of experience from NHS, local government and charity settings. Her career has encompassed service user and public engagement, stakeholder management, commissioning and quality assurance of health and social care services, safeguarding, and equality and diversity. Jill has a degree in Literary Studies and an MA in Oral Culture and Literature.
Email Jill Downey
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Alexa Bishop
Alexa Bishop
Following a PhD in cellular biology from University of Manchester, Alexa has worked in academic research engagement in the museum and charity sectors for over 10 years. Through roles at Manchester Museum and Cancer Research UK, she has experience in stakeholder and relationship management, public engagement with research, project management and research strategy. Alexa has a BSc in Biochemistry from University of Birmingham.
Email Alexa Bishop

Liz Kebby-Jones
Liz Kebby-Jones
Following degrees in Classics and International Public Policy, Liz worked as an analyst in business and human rights risk before joining the HE and research sector in 2014. As an Engagement Manager at HEFCE she specialised in college HE before transitioning to work on the Office for Students registration process. Alongside her responsibilities as an Institutions Engagement Manager at RE, Liz oversees Research England’s stakeholder relationship with UUK International (UUKi), working with RE’s Director of Research and colleagues at UKRI on international research policy.
Email Liz Kebby-Jones

Kim Seth
Kim Seth
Kim has worked in relationship management roles for over fifteen years for HEFCE, The Law Society and CIMA. She has played a lead role in establishing our engagement function. Kim is responsible for our Engagement Forums and is supporting the REF team to deliver the Institutional Environment Pilot. Kim studied Dance and Culture at the University of Surrey and gained a post-graduate qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Email Kim Seth
Find your institution engagement manager
Click here to find your institution engagement manager.
Institution name | Engagement manager |
AECC University College | Alexa Bishop |
Anglia Ruskin University | Jill Downey |
Aston University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Bath Spa University | Kim Seth |
Birkbeck College | Jill Downey |
Birmingham City University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Bishop Grosseteste University | Jill Downey |
Bournemouth University | Alexa Bishop |
Brunel University London | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Buckinghamshire New University | Alexa Bishop |
Canterbury Christ Church University | Jill Downey |
City, University of London | Kim Seth |
Courtauld Institute of Art | Jill Downey |
Coventry University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Cranfield University | Alexa Bishop |
De Montfort University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Edge Hill University | Alexa Bishop |
Falmouth University | Daniel Moore |
Goldsmiths' College | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Guildhall School of Music & Drama | Kim Seth |
Harper Adams University | Jill Downey |
Hartpury University | Jill Downey |
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine | Alexa Bishop |
Keele University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
King's College London | Alexa Bishop |
Kingston University | Alexa Bishop |
LAMDA | Kim Seth |
Leeds Arts University | Peter Seddon |
Leeds Beckett University | Peter Seddon |
Leeds Trinity University | Peter Seddon |
Liverpool Hope University | Alexa Bishop |
Liverpool John Moores University | Alexa Bishop |
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine | Alexa Bishop |
London Business School | Jill Downey |
London Metropolitan University | Alexa Bishop |
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | Alexa Bishop |
London South Bank University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Loughborough University | Jill Downey |
Middlesex University | Alexa Bishop |
Newcastle University | Jill Downey |
Newman University | Alexa Bishop |
Norwich University of the Arts | Kim Seth |
Oxford Brookes University | Kim Seth |
Plymouth College of Art | Daniel Moore |
Plymouth Marjon University | Daniel Moore |
Queen Mary University of London | Alexa Bishop |
Ravensbourne University London | Alexa Bishop |
Roehampton University | Alexa Bishop |
Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance | Kim Seth |
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | Jill Downey |
Royal Academy of Music | Kim Seth |
Royal Agricultural University | Kim Seth |
Royal College of Art | Jill Downey |
Royal College of Music | Jill Downey |
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College | Alexa Bishop |
Royal Northern College of Music | Kim Seth |
Sheffield Hallam University | Jill Downey |
SOAS University of London | Jill Downey |
Solent University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
St Mary's University, Twickenham | Alexa Bishop |
St. George's Hospital Medical School | Jill Downey |
Staffordshire University | Liz Kebby-Jones |
Teesside University | Jill Downey |
The Arts University Bournemouth | Alexa Bishop |
The Institute of Cancer Research | Alexa Bishop |
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts | Alexa Bishop |
The Manchester Metropolitan University | Kim Seth |
The National Film and Television School | Jill Downey |
The Nottingham Trent University | Jill Downey |
The Open University | Daniel Moore |
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | Jill Downey |
The Royal Veterinary College | Jill Downey |
The University of Bath | Kim Seth |
The University of Birmingham | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Bolton | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Bradford | Alexa Bishop |
The University of Brighton | Jill Downey |
The University of Bristol | Kim Seth |
The University of Cambridge | Jill Downey |
The University of Central Lancashire | Peter Seddon |
The University of Chichester | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of East Anglia | Kim Seth |
The University of East London | Jill Downey |
The University of Essex | Jill Downey |
The University of Exeter | Alexa Bishop |
The University of Greenwich | Alexa Bishop |
The University of Huddersfield | Jill Downey |
The University of Hull | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Kent | Jill Downey |
The University of Lancaster | Peter Seddon |
The University of Leeds | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Leicester | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Lincoln | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Liverpool | Alexa Bishop |
The University of Manchester | Kim Seth |
The University of Northampton | Daniel Moore |
The University of Oxford | Kim Seth |
The University of Portsmouth | Jill Downey |
The University of Reading | Kim Seth |
The University of Salford | Kim Seth |
The University of Sheffield | Jill Downey |
The University of Southampton | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Sunderland | Jill Downey |
The University of Surrey | Kim Seth |
The University of Sussex | Jill Downey |
The University of Warwick | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of West London | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Westminster | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Winchester | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of Wolverhampton | Liz Kebby-Jones |
The University of York | Alexa Bishop |
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance | Kim Seth |
University College Birmingham | Liz Kebby-Jones |
University College London | Liz Kebby-Jones |
University College of Osteopathy | Jill Downey |
University for the Creative Arts | Kim Seth |
University of Bedfordshire | Alexa Bishop |
University of Chester | Alexa Bishop |
University of Cumbria | Peter Seddon |
University of Derby | Alexa Bishop |
University of Durham | Jill Downey |
University of Gloucestershire | Alexa Bishop |
University of Hertfordshire | Alexa Bishop |
University of Northumbria at Newcastle | Jill Downey |
University of Nottingham | Jill Downey |
University of Plymouth | Daniel Moore |
University of Suffolk | Kim Seth |
University of the Arts, London | Kim Seth |
University of the West of England | Kim Seth |
University of Worcester | Alexa Bishop |
Writtle University College | Jill Downey |
York St John University | Alexa Bishop |