Centre for Public Policy appoints two new Honorary Professors
Published: 13 March 2026
13 March 2026: The University’s Centre for Public Policy has appointed Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor on The Promise Scotland, and Dr Paul McAleavey, senior civil servant in the European Commission, as Honorary Professors to support its work.
13 March 2026: The University’s Centre for Public Policy has appointed Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor on The Promise Scotland, and Dr Paul McAleavey, senior civil servant in the European Commission, as Honorary Professors to support its work.
The University of Glasgow Centre for Public Policy has appointed two new Honorary Professors to its growing team of contributors; Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor (The Promise Scotland), and Dr Paul McAleavey senior civil servant in the European Commission.
Fiona Duncan is the Independent Strategic Advisor for The Promise, appointed by the First Minister to set the strategic direction and culture required to realise the conclusions of the Independent Care Review, which she also chaired.
She has over 30 years’ experience across the voluntary and public sectors and previously served as Chief Executive of the Corra Foundation, a philanthropic organisation supporting people and communities experiencing disadvantage.
Dr Paul McAleavey is a senior civil servant in the European Commission with over 30 years of international experience in the provision of evidence-based knowledge and science in support of EU policies.
He recently led a review of the strategy and work programming of the European Commission’s in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre. He currently heads the team preparing a large-scale review of the organisation and operations of the European Commission for the coming decade.
Professor Nicola McEwen, Centre for Public Policy Director, said: “The vast experience and knowledge Fiona and Paul bring to the Centre for Public Policy will be invaluable to our work, especially in finding innovative ways to support and collaborate with policymakers from Scotland to Europe, connecting them with the expertise here at the University.
“We are delighted to welcome them to the Centre and we look forward to working with and learning from them both.”
Fiona Duncan said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Centre for Public Policy as an Honorary Professor, an exciting opportunity to build on my recent collaboration with the Centre on its the State of Poverty research project, and to explore new opportunities to work together.
“The Centre is uniquely placed to be able to support and collaborate with policymakers to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing our society, outside of the traditional ways of working that have not proven to be universally effective. I look forward to playing my part and supporting the team with this work.”
Dr Paul McAleavey said: “I am delighted to accept the status of Honorary Professor in the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Public Policy. I look forward to contributing to the activities of the Centre and supporting staff and students in maintaining strong links to developments at the European level. I am also keen to learn from the Centre’s expertise and fresh thinking in the field of public policy.”
The appointments mark an important addition to the Centre’s growing community of expert advisors and contributors.
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First published: 13 March 2026