Personal Chair: Fiona Mackay

Fiona Mackay has been made a Personal Chair in Politics.

Professor Mackay graduated in BA (Hons) in Politics and Modern History from the University of Manchester in 1990 and PhD in Politics from the University of Edinburgh in 1996.

She was appointed Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh in 1997 and promoted to senior lecturer in 2003.

Her research explores the extent to which political institutions may be designed or reformed to address gender inequality and promote women’s human rights.

She directed the ESRC-funded study Gender and Constitutional Change in the UK (2001-2003), and has provided research advice to the UK and Scottish governments.

Her current project examines the new UN entity for gender equality, UN Women.

She has held research grants with bodies including the ESRC, ERC and British Academy.

She is founder and co-director of the Feminism and Institutionalism International Network (FIIN), a collaborative theory-building project developing a distinctive approach to the study of gender and politics.

Professor Mackay served as Director of the Graduate School in Social and Political Science (2009-2012).

She has contributed service to the wider academic community as a member of the ESRC Virtual Research College (2003-2008), ESRC Case Studentship Panel (2005-2007), and ESRC DTC Peer Review College (2010).