Press Release from the Academy of Social Sciences:
Roger Goodman appointed Chair of Council
Roger Goodman, an expert on Japanese society and head of the social sciences division at
Oxford University, is to lead the Academy of Social Sciences.
Professor Goodman takes over in July as chair of the council of the UK’s national
organisation for leading social scientists in universities, learned societies, business and
government. He succeeds Professor Sir Cary Cooper, the internationally known
organisational psychologist, who has led the Academy for the past 6 years.
Professor Goodman, who is 54, has specialised in social and educational policy and the place
of young people in modern Japan. A frequent visitor to East Asia, Goodman has been central
to the development of the social sciences division at Oxford, which with nearly 1,000
academics is one of the largest social science faculties in the world.
He said: ‘UK social science has an enviable reputation for its quality and international
outlook and I am immensely proud to become chair of the social sciences’ national academy.
‘But we have a lot of work to do, to raise the public profile of social science, especially its
use in policy formation, and to maintain adequate levels of funding for research and teaching.
We will work closely with the government in power after the general election in supporting
social science work for national – and international – benefit.’
Sponsored by the Academy, the Campaign for Social Science recently called for a 10 per
cent real terms expansion in the science budget between now and 2020, to produce the
knowledge needed to deal with productivity, ageing and other challenges facing the UK.
Stephen Anderson, Academy executive director, paid tribute to Sir Cary Cooper. ‘He has
infused the social science enterprise with great enthusiasm during his time as chair. Under
his energetic leadership, the Academy has grown in size and the social sciences now enjoy a
higher standing.’
Notes for Editors
1. The Academy of Social Sciences comprises over 40 learned societies and subject
associations and 1,100 distinguished social science academics and professionals in
business, government and the third sector. See: acss.org.uk
2. Roger Goodman studied at Oxford. After a year at Imperial College, London and
three years as reader in sociology at the University of Essex, he returned to Oxford
as first university lecturer in the social anthropology of Japan in 1993. He took up
the Nissan chair of modern Japanese studies in 2003 and became head of the newlyestablished School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies in 2004. He became head of
Oxford’s Social Sciences Division in 2008. His books include studies of Japanese
school children, child protection and human rights, the East Asia welfare model,
ageing in Asia and higher education.
For more information, please contact:
Helen Spriggs, Membership Manager
spriggs@acss.org.uk
+44 (0) 20 7330 9280