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Rich Pickford

Rich Pickford

Manager - Nottingham Civic Exchange

School of Social Sciences

Staff Group(s)
Nottingham Civic Exchange

Role

Rich takes the lead on facilitating connections between researchers, communities, businesses and citizens and maximising the impact of Nottingham Civic Exchange's work. He has a passion for working with people in a variety of settings and across topic areas. He has developed a focus on the informal economy, civil contingencies and wellbeing over recent years and was seconded to the C19 National Foresight Group through the pandemic. He is sits on the  Areas for Research sub-committee of the University Policy Engagement Network and has just launched the NCE Policy Fellowship programme at NTU.

Rich leads Nottingham Civic Exchange with the support of its Steering Group to maximise current expertise and knowledge and develop new opportunities.

Career overview

Rich has a background in outdoor education and youth work, and prior to working with NTU he was based at the RSA supporting their work across Wales and the Midlands.

Research areas

Through a policy engagement and facilitation lens Rich undertakes research with collaborators on the informal economy, civil contingencies and wellbeing. He has also undertaken a range of research consultancy projects on a wide variety of topics ranging from arts and culture evaluations to partnership responses to violence against women and girls.

Through his role, Rich also supports research across a broad range of topics and subjects and works with academics and partners to maximise its reach and impact. He takes a lead on policy engagement in the School of Social Sciences alongside playing a central role in the Work, Informalisation and Place Research Centre at NTU.

He holds an MA in Early Modern British History and is always keen to talk about travel writing in Ireland and 18th century popular protest alongside policy engagement, impact, the value of NTUs Social Science research, knowledge exchange and labour market non-compliance.

External activity

Rich is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

A member of the ARI Sub-Committee for UPEN

Press expertise

The informal economy

Labour Market  Exploitation

Knowledge Exchange and Policy Engagement

Hand Car Washes

Civil Contingencies