John Goddard - Biography#

After a BA degree in 1965 (Geography, University of London), John Burgess Goddard undertook doctoral work in economic geography at the London School of Economics (PhD 1968), where he lectured from 1968 to 1975. Then he moved to the Henry Daysh Chair of Regional Development Studies at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. From 1978 to 1998, he was Honorary Director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) at Newcastle. Between 1994 and 1998, he was also Dean of Faculty, before becoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor (1998-2001), with responsibility for links between the University, the city and the region. As Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2001-2008), he spearheaded Newcastle becoming one of the UK’s six Science Cities, and led a major restructuring of the University. In 2008, he became Emeritus Professor, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow, and Visiting Fellow at the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.

John Goddard’s early research was on office linkages and location. At CURDS, he headed important investigations into the regional problems of North-East England. He acquired expertise for fostering links between the University of Newcastle and its surrounding region, and then expanded that experience internationally, being the author of many reports for the OECD and the EC. He contributed to the Dearing Review of Higher Education in the UK and to research on the regional mission of higher education. John Goddard led several investigations into regional engagement by Finnish universities. In 2013 he completed a book on ‘The University and the City’ (2013). He continues to work with the OECD on links between universities and regions, and leads an EC programme to stimulate regional innovation and university modernization.

John Goddard edited the scholarly journal ‘Regional Studies’ (1980-85), and served on several editorial boards. He was advisor to the Trade and Industry Select Committee of the House of Commons (1994-95), and chair of the Association of Directors of Research Centres in the Social Sciences (1991-98). He was a member of the Northern Economic Planning Council (1976-79) and continues to be active in an impressive number of regional organizations in northern England.