In August 2009, Professor Philip Esler will complete his four year term of office as the first permanent Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.  He will then be returning to his post as Professor of Biblical Criticism at the University of St Andrews.

In his time as AHRC Chief Executive Professor Esler has overseen many changes at the Council including an almost doubling in the research budget, and an increased recognition from Government of the importance to the UK of arts and humanities research.

Professor Esler has said that “In the next six months I am determined to see delivered to completion a whole range of actions that I have initiated since becoming AHRC Chief Executive.  Some of these initiatives have been ongoing for over two years (like Block Grant Partnerships), and before I leave office I, along with the highly capable AHRC staff, will have undertaken a complete transformation of the organisation in keeping with its Research Council status in a rapidly changing research environment.”

Strategic initiatives that Professor Esler will be bringing to completion in 2009 include:

• Publishing the AHRC Impact Task Force Report.
• Finalising spending review preparations, now with the added stimulus of the recession.
• Continuing to build on the AHRC's international collaborations.
• Continuing to embed a culture of impact within arts and humanities research.

The post is expected to be advertised early in March 2009.

ENDS

Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager. Tel: 0117 9876 773

Notes to the editor
Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £100 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,000 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute nearly a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.