Professor Christopher Smith has been named as the government's preferred candidate to lead Research England, the body that invests £2.5 billion a year in research and knowledge exchange at universities in England.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds announced the choice on Tuesday, 10 November. Professor Smith, a professor of ancient history at the University of St Andrews, will succeed Professor Dame Jessica Corner, who steps down from the role in January 2027.

The appointment is not yet final. It is subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which is expected to take place later in November.

A wider role than before

Professor Smith will take the expanded title of Executive Chair of Research England and Global Partnerships. Alongside the Research England brief, he will keep responsibility for international partnerships, talent and skills, and research and innovation culture and environment across UK Research and Innovation, known as UKRI.

Research England distributes funding to higher education institutions in England and oversees programmes across the UK, working closely with partners in the devolved administrations. It also manages the Research Excellence Framework, which assesses the quality of research at UK universities.

From Rome to the research council

Professor Smith is currently Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, a post he has held since September 2020. He was asked to stay on after his term was due to end in August 2026, following an unsuccessful recruitment exercise for his successor.

He has been Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews since 2002, and served as Vice-Principal from 2007 to 2009. He was then seconded as Director of the British School at Rome, the UK's leading humanities and creative arts research institute overseas, from 2009 to 2017.

In 2025 he was appointed Chair of the Board of the National Library of Scotland. He is the author or editor of more than 20 books, and in 2017 he received the Premio 'Cultori di Roma'. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

What the ministers and UKRI said

Science minister Chris McDonald said Professor Smith had long been a respected voice in the academic community and a tireless supporter of the arts and humanities at the AHRC, adding that he would continue to make a valuable contribution to world-class research in the UK.

UKRI chief executive Professor Sir Ian Chapman said he was delighted to continue working with Professor Smith in the new role, and thanked Dame Jessica Corner for her stewardship of Research England.

Professor Smith said he was excited to lead Research England into a vital next stage of its development, aligned to UKRI's new strategic vision, and building on Dame Jessica Corner's exceptional period of leadership.

Dame Jessica Corner has led Research England since October 2022. An appointment process for a new Executive Chair of the AHRC is likely to launch in early December.