WHO WE ARE

The network is a partnership between Goldsmiths, University of London, and Nottingham University, working with the regional forums of faith across England. It is directed by Dr Adam Dinham at Goldsmiths and Professor Vivien Lowndes at DeMontfort.

Adam Dinham	Vivien Lowndes
Adam Dinham is director of the Faiths and Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he is Reader in Religion and Society. He holds degrees in Theology and Religious Studies (BA & MA, Cambridge), Social Studies (MA, Brunel) and Politics and Community Development (PhD, Goldsmiths, University of London). He is qualified as a social worker and has practiced in Social Work and Community Development in city contexts, with an interest in working with faith communities in areas of urban disadvantage. He is policy advisor to a number of faith-based agencies and policy bodies, including the Faith Based Regeneration Network and the CoExistence Trust in the House of Lords, and has advised central government on issues of public faith. He is Peace Studies Fellow at the University of Calgary, Director of the Faiths and Civil Society Network of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and has published widely on faith in the public realm. He is currently Programme Director for the 'Religious Literacy Leadership in Higher Education' programme.	Vivien Lowndes is Professor of Politics at Nottingham University. She worked previously at the Institute of Local Government Studies, University of Birmingham and in the Department of Government, University of Essex. She has also held research and policy posts in local government and the voluntary sector. Vivien Lowndes has conducted major research projects on citizen participation, partnership governance, local political leadership and central/local relations for bodies including DCLG, Home Office, ESRC, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Audit Commission and Council of Europe. She has undertaken recent work on faith engagement in public policy and local governance and is the co-editor of Faith in the Public Realm (Policy Press). Vivien Lowndes acted as Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Public Administration Committee for its inquiry into innovations in participation, and was an Advisor to the Lyons Inquiry on Local Government. She has also served on the management group of the Institute of Community Cohesion, of which De Montfort University is a founding partner.

There is also a small advisory steering group which includes professional researchers, policy makers and people who are directly involved in faith-based social action, from a range of ages and backgrounds. The network welcomes people of all faiths and none. The steering group has tried to reflect this.

Steering Group