Professor Dame Judith Petts is the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Plymouth, a post she has held since February 2016. She joined Plymouth from the University of Southampton where she had been Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise and previously the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences (2010-13). Prior to this, she had spent 12 years at the University of Birmingham completing as Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Transfer (2007-10).
Over some 30 years, her research has particularly examined the interface between science and policy-making, and the effective use of evidence in decision-making. Currently she is a Director of the Heart of the South-West LEP.  Previous appointments include as a member of the Council of BBSRC (2014-18) and NERC’s Innovation Board (2011-16); the Science Advisory Council of Defra (2011-16); Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2006-11); the Council of NERC (2000-6); of EPSRC’s Societal Issues Panel and Strategic Advisory Network; the Royal Society’s Science in Society Consultative Committee; and the Advisory Board of Veolia Environmental Services.
She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in The Queen’s New Year Honours 2012, for services to Scientific Research.