Professor Rebecca Surender

Professor Rebecca Surender is Vice Principal and has been a Governing Body Fellow since 2003. She is Associate Head of Social Sciences Division (Graduate and Research Training) at the University of Oxford. At college, she is also a member of Academic Committee, Building Committee and Fellowship Committee.

Professor Surender is a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention where she supervises doctoral students and undertakes research in health policy and social policy in developing countries. Her primary focus concerns the politics, implementation and outcomes of health and income maintenance policies in South Africa. She has worked as a consultant and advisor for various multilateral and government agencies including the World Bank, UNRISD, UK DfID and SA DSD and is currently a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University, South Africa.

Professor Surender has held several senior administrative positions within the wider University of Oxford including University Proctor in 2013 and Advocate and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equality and Diversity (2014 to 2021). She is a member of Advance HE’s EDI Strategic Advisory Group and serves as a Special Advisor on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the London School of Economics.