Mark Tewdwr-Jones

Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones is a globally-recognised scholar, strategist and policy maker, scientific communicator, and innovation facilitator, with over 30 years experience. He is an authority on urban planning, land use, housing, digital place connectivity, the governance of the city, and public engagement. He has held senior posts at four UK Russell Group universities and visiting and honorary posts at 18 other universities, including Berkeley, Hong Kong, and Dublin, and is in the top 30 most cited urban planning academics globally. He has published 20 books, has won over £25m in research income, written 20 Government reports, and supervised 30 PhD students.

Mark has worked at the very highest level of policy making, including secondment into the UK Chief Scientist’s Foresight Office, advising both the Scottish and Welsh Governments, working with Whitehall departments and a number of local authorities. He has given evidence to Parliamentary select committees, served as an advisor to UKRI Research Councils, funding bodies in Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Israel, and Portugal, and the Commonwealth Scholarship Foundation. He has also contributed to programme work for the NHS NICE, Connected Places Catapult, the British Academy, the Royal Society for Arts, the Town and Country Planning Association, and has served as Chair of the Regional Studies Association and a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute General Assembly.

He has a worldwide reputation as a provider of cutting-edge engagement and innovation ideas, and has not only worked with global business, philanthropic foundations, charities and community organisations, but also developed new relationships across and between them. This includes the founding and directing of Newcastle City Futures, a civic innovation platform in North East England, that levered in £150m for partners, facilitated the shaping and delivery of 45 innovation projects, and engaged 200 partners and 155,000 members of the public. Among his contributions on urban development are those to the World Bank, OECD, Lloyd’s of London, IBM, BT, and Arup.