Chris Millward

Professor Chris Millward joined the University of Birmingham in January 2022 as Professor of Practice in Education Policy. As a Professor of Practice, he is interested in generating and deploying robust evidence for policy on tertiary education systems.

From 2018-21, Chris served as the first Director for Fair Access and Participation on the board and executive of England’s higher education regulator, the Office for Students. Prior to this, he was Director of Policy and a Regional Consultant at the Higher Education Funding Council for England from 2006-17, and Head of Research Programmes at the UK Arts and Humanities Board during its transition to a Research Council from 2002-06.

Alongside his role at Birmingham, Chris is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, a Marshall Scholarships Commissioner and a Trustee of the Society of Research into Higher Education. He is also Chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Global Higher Education and a member of the British Council's Education Advisory Board.

Chris grew up in Stockport and attended his local comprehensive school. He then studied at the universities of Warwick and Manchester, and spent the first years of his career working at the universities of Warwick, Edinburgh and Durham.