Two senior appointments have been made to Oxford University’s Humanities Division.
Karen Houghton has joined as Head of Impact, and Simon Barfoot has been appointed Head of Building Operations. These newly-created roles are key to the Division’s strategy for the coming years. The Building Operations role will be critical to supporting the rollout of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, which is currently under construction and will be completed in 2025. The Head of Impact role will help our faculties and researchers to communicate their vital research and demonstrate the enormously positive impact of the humanities on the world around us.
Simon Barfoot: Head of Building Operations
Simon has been involved in the creative industries for over 35 years. After training as an opera singer at the University of Melbourne, Simon toured internationally as a multi-instrumentalist. He has worked as a Production Manager and Operations & Technical Director for companies including Sydney Opera House, LOCOG, Soho Theatre Group, Spiegeltent International, Graeae and Punchdrunk International. Most recently, he was Project Manager on a new 1000 seat theatre being built in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
He said: "I am incredibly excited to be joining the Humanities team at Oxford University on this landmark project, and to become part of a university environment which produces such outstanding research and teaching. The ambition and scale of the Schwarzman Centre offers amazing opportunities for the University, its students, its staff, and the wider community to be part of a world class centre for learning and research."
Karen Houghton, Head of Impact
Karen brings a wide range of experience to her role, having worked extensively in the private sector in addition to higher education. For most of the past 10 years, Karen has specialised in research development and impact management, particularly in the humanities but also in the social sciences. She believes that the best part of her job is ‘liberating academic research from the confines of academia’. An enthusiastic advocate for the humanities, Karen holds undergraduate degrees in History and History of Art, and a PhD in History.
She said: “I’m delighted to join the Humanities Division as Head of Impact. It is a privilege to help academics make a difference in the world through their research, and the research produced in this Division is unparalleled. I look forward to working closely with academic and professional services colleagues to realise the benefits of impactful engagement and further raise the external profile of the incredible work undertaken here.”
