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University of Southampton Professor honoured for services to social science

Published: 31 December 2009
Professor Chris Skinner
Professor of Social Statistics at the University of Southampton

Professor of Social Statistics at the University of Southampton, Chris Skinner, has been awarded a CBE in the New Year's Honours list. He’s been recognised for services to social science.

“I am delighted to receive this honour, and see it as recognition of the leading work undertaken in this University in social statistics and research methods,” he comments.

Professor Skinner has worked at the University for 31 years, starting in a temporary teaching post and registering for a PhD. He is now Acting Director of the University’s Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute.

He has led a number of major initiatives designed to enhance methodological capacity in social science research. For its first five years, he was Director of the National Centre for Research Methods, which plays a leading part in the strategy of the Economic and Social Research Council to improve methodological standards in social science research. It consists of a network of teams across UK universities, with a hub at Southampton – harnessing methodological expertise to address research challenges and the needs of UK researchers.

Other capacity-building initiatives he has directed include the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences programme, targeted at junior researchers across 18 European countries, and the Centre for Applied Social Surveys. He also led the introduction of the current high-level professional training programme for statisticians employed in UK government.

Notes for editors

  • 1. Professor Chris Skinner has received a number of honours for his research in statistical methodology. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, an Academician of the Social Sciences and was recently awarded the West medal of the Royal Statistical Society.

    2. The Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute brings together staff from across the University of Southampton for research in methods and applications of statistics, particularly in the social sciences, engineering, health and medicine. Known as S3RI, it also undertakes and co-ordinates collaborative and cross-disciplinary research across the University, nationally and internationally, including projects with government bodies and industry. It involves more than 50 academic, research and support staff and makes up one of the largest groups of statisticians in UK universities.

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