Professor Sally Shortall will hit the ground running when she takes up her post as the new Duke of Northumberland Professor of Rural Economy on Wednesday 5 October.  On her very first day at Newcastle she will be speaking about getting research into policy at the launch of the University’s new Policy Academy.  Professor Shortall comes to Newcastle from Queen’s University Belfast, where she was Head of the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work.  The new Policy Academy aims to support all staff in informing policy which affects contemporary societal issues through knowledge exchange and communication of their research.  A few places are still available at the launch and any staff interested in attending should email Suzanne.Robson@ncl.ac.uk.