Director appointed to lead new Institute for Policy

The University of Leicester has appointed Professor Neil Chakraborti as the founding Director of the new Institute for Policy at Leicester which will officially launch in early 2024.

Professor Chakraborti will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of the Institute’s research and policy agenda. 

Neil is a Professor in Criminology at the University of Leicester and Director of the Centre for Hate Studies.  He has extensively researched hate crime, targeted hostility and violence against minorities, driving change within the domains of policy and scholarship for more than two decades.  

He has been commissioned by a diverse range of funding bodies, including Amnesty International, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Leverhulme Trust, to lead ground-breaking research studies which have shaped regional, national and global policy interventions.  

He has worked in partnership with a range of organisations, including government agencies, non-profit organisations, and academic institutions.  

Commenting on the appointment Professor Chakraborti said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as the founding Director of the new Institute for Policy.  I look forward to working with colleagues across the University and beyond to develop innovative research and policy solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges facing our society today.” 

The Institute for Policy will provide independent analysis on key policy issues facing the UK and beyond. The Institute’s main aims will be to: 

Shape policy and influence decision-making to improve lives and livelihoods in the region, nationally and globally. 

Optimise the impact of our research across the full breadth of the university to ensure that it shapes positive and lasting change within the world around us.