Professor Rosie Cox

The University of Sussex has appointed Professor Rosie Cox as Executive Dean of the new Faculty of Social Sciences from 1 August 2024.

Professor Cox is currently Head of the School of Social Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London.

Rosie began her academic career at Coventry University as a lecturer in Geography, before moving in 2003 to Birkbeck. She has held a number of leadership roles at Birkbeck including Assistant Dean (Research), Assistant Dean (International) and Head of the Department of Geography, before becoming Head of the School of Social Sciences.

Rosie’s research focuses on the relationship between home, work, and consumption. She is particularly interested in inequalities in the home, and in domestic work. She has published widely on paid domestic workers and au pairs, on the social meanings of dirt, 'alternative' food consumption and, most recently, on DIY and paid handymen. She is co-editor of the Routledge book series Home. Rosie is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, said: “The appointment of Rosie Cox as Executive Dean of the new Faculty of Social Sciences is an exciting and significant milestone for Sussex. I am delighted to have appointed the first of our four Executive Deans. Rosie is a highly respected researcher and an experienced academic leader, and she will bring enormous energy and creativity to the collective process of building and growing the new Faculty of Social Sciences at Sussex.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Michael Luck, to whom the new Executive Deans will report, said: “The new Executive Deans will be crucial to fulfilling the long-term strategy for the University. Rosie will bring leadership experience from across the Social Sciences and a strong vision for making the new faculty work for the future of the Schools that comprise it, and for Sussex as a whole.”

Rosie said: “I am thrilled to be moving to Sussex at such an exciting time in its history. I am really looking forward to working with so many fabulous colleagues in Social Sciences and more widely in the University.”

What is the role of Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences?

The new Faculty of Social Sciences will bring together the Schools of Education and Social Work, Global Studies, and Law, Politics and Sociology. The Executive Dean will provide academic leadership and management of the Faculty to deliver the University’s vision, mission and strategic aims. The Heads of School will report to the new Executive Dean.

The Executive Deans for all four faculties will also take responsibility for substantial University-wide change activities that may impact all academic areas. They will work with the University Executive to deliver the academic mission of the University, assuming collective responsibility for its strategic direction, development, and performance.