Professor Sarah Pearson

Sarah Pearson is Professor of Social Policy Research at the Centre for Regional Economic Research and Dean of Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange at Sheffield Hallam University. She is Co-Director of the Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness, a recent UKRI investment under its Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes priority. Her research addresses the role of community-led and place-based interventions in improving outcomes in disadvantaged areas. It includes a recent review of neighbourhood renewal in partnership with Local Trust and evaluations of place-based policies and programmes: supporting young people at risk of knife crime and violence (Youth Endowment Fund), the Early Action Neighbourhood Fund (National Lottery Community Fund), and Children’s Communities (Save the Children UK). Between 2001 and 2010, she was Deputy Director of the ten-year evaluation of the New Deal for Communities Programme.