We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Paul Clarke as the next Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex from 1 October 2026.
Paul joined ISER in 2013 as Professor of Social Statistics and is our current Director of Research. He is a world-leading expert in methodological work on the use of machine learning in the social sciences, and a leading researcher on statistical methods for, among other things, the causal analysis of longitudinal data and applications of statistical methods in social and health research.
Paul succeeds Professor Meena Kumari who steps down from the role after three years as Director to continue as Professor of Biological and Social Epidemiology at ISER.
Paul said, “It is an honour to lead ISER, as one of the world’s leading multi-disciplinary social science research institutes. It is home to MiSoC and Understanding Society, two of the ESRC’s longest running investments, as well as our internationally important Centre for Microsimulation and Policy Analysis and the Cross-National Survey Unit. ISER has been at the forefront of social science innovation for almost 40 years, always with a strong focus on developing research talent, supervising PhD students, and mentoring early career researchers. I am delighted to be supporting our excellent research teams as their research agendas expand and evolve.”
Professor Frances Bowen, Vice Chancellor of the University of Essex, said: “I am delighted to welcome Paul as ISER’s new Director. I look forward to working with him as he joins the senior leadership of our University and builds on ISER’s outstanding reputation for almost four decades of authoritative social science research.
“Paul is internationally recognised for his influential work in social statistics and methodological research with a strong commitment to collaboration across disciplines. Throughout his career, he has worked with colleagues from across statistics, the social sciences and data science to develop innovative approaches to understanding social change, research methods and complex societal challenges.
“As Director of Research at ISER he has contributed to major national research programmes, demonstrating intellectual leadership and a dedication to partnership. This experience means he is ideally placed to lead ISER through the next phase of its development.”