AHRC Council Member
Richard Follett is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Council.
He is Vice President and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global) at the University of Exeter and a Professor of History.
Richard is an economic and social historian of the US with particular expertise in race and slavery. His current research focuses on African American resistance to slavery from the colonial period to emancipation. An elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Richard co-founded and edited the interdisciplinary periodical Atlantic Studies.
After completing his PhD in the US, Richard joined the faculty at the National University of Ireland, Galway. From 1999 to 2023, he taught at the University of Sussex before joining the University of Exeter. With more than a decade of senior university leadership, Richard leads Exeter’s global portfolio, including research partnerships, transnational education and student enrolment.
Richard has held a range of external and advisory roles, representing:
- research-intensive universities
- post-92 universities
- small specialist institutions
- international organisations
He was Chair of Universities UK Africa and Middle East Network and has served on numerous UK and international boards.
He has worked in more than 30 countries, including visiting appointments at the:
- University of Lagos
- Nanjing University
- Peking University
- Heidelberg University
- National Autonomous University of Mexico
Last updated: 2 April 2026