Professor Brendan Burchell (Sociology) and Professor Gordon Harold (Education) have been shortlisted for the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) annual prize, which recognises the success of ESRC-funded researchers in achieving and enabling outstanding economic or societal impact.
Professor Burchell is recognised as part of the Digit Working Time Reduction Team’s project aimed at improving productivity and wellbeing with a four-day working week. The team’s work, in collaboration with a major trial of the four-day week in the UK, run by the 4 Day Week Campaign, investigated how such changes can be implemented practically and equitably – and by a broader range of industries.
Professor Harold is recognised for his research into how parental conflict affects developmental outcomes for children. His studies, spanning more than 20 years, have contributed to a shift in national practice and policy towards targeting interparental relationships, with Professor Harold informing the design, implementation and evaluation of the Department for Work and Pensions Reducing Parental Conflict Programme.
The programme has supported thousands of couples and separated parents to better manage their conflict, equipping their children to reach their full potential, and has fundamentally changed local authority engagement with vulnerable families and children in England.
ESRC Executive Chair Stian Westlake said, ‘The Celebrating Impact Prize is the Economic and Social Research Council’s way of recognising the remarkable achievements of the UK’s outstanding economists and social scientists. They have helped to ensure people’s legal and human rights are better protected, while showing us that there may be new and better ways of organising our working lives.’
All finalists will have a film made about their work and its impact and have attended media training.
Winners are awarded £10,000 to spend on further knowledge exchange, public engagement or other communications activities.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Royal Society in London on 20 November 2024.