Reuters Institute's Director of Research named Professor of Political Communication at the University of Oxford
12 Sep 2017
The Reuters Institute’s Director of Research, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, has been named Professor of Political Communication at the University of Oxford.
Dr Nielsen becomes the first professor of political communication in the university’s long history, named in recognition of the absolutely central role that communication, news, and media play in contemporary societies and of his research on journalism and news, digital media, and political campaigns.
Reuters Institute Director David Levy says: “I'm delighted that Rasmus Kleis Nielsen has been awarded the title of Professor of Political Communication. This recognises the exceptional contribution that he has made, both through his own pioneering research, and through his service to the profession through his editorship of the International Journal of Press/Politics.
“At Oxford he has built up an exceptional research team which he leads at the Reuters Institute, and he has forged invaluable links with the industry in order to help them understand and respond to the current challenges and transformations in the media sector.”
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen says: “Now is an important moment for thinking about how the institutions that underpin our public and political life are changing around the world, and what we might do to influence how they change. I have the privilege of doing so every day with journalists and researchers from all over the world at the Reuters Institute and across the university, and of engaging with media organizations, policy makers and technology companies as well as fellow academics from the platform that the institute and the University of Oxford provides.
“This is an incredible opportunity, a fantastic community for me both personally and professionally, and an environment I thrive in. It makes me happy and proud that the Department of Politics and International Relations and the university so clearly see the value in what we are doing here through this recognition.”
Professor Nielsen will continue to serve as Director of Research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and as a Research Fellow at Green Templeton College while also teaching in the Department of Politics and International Relations as well as the Blavatnik School of Government.
