Professor Richard Follett

Richard Follett is Vice President and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global) at the University of Exeter. He is Professor of American History and a specialist on the history of slavery and emancipation in the United States. Richard enjoys a strong international reputation for his scholarship and public engagement work. He is a multi-award winning scholar and an elected fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistSoc). Richard joined the University of Exeter in 2023.

Brought up in Bangor, Wales and Bristol, England (with spells in the United States), Richard attended the University of Wales, Swansea and the University of Illinois for his BA degree. He obtained an MA from the University of London in 1991. Richard was a Fulbright Scholar (1991-93) and secured his doctoral degree on the history of American slavery from Louisiana State University in 1997.

 

From 1997-1999, Follett was on the faculty at the National University of Ireland, Galway before joining the University of Sussex where he taught between 1999 and 2022. Richard was appointed to a Professorial Chair in 2011.

 

Follett held senior faculty and university leadership positions including, Head of Department before leading the Education and Student Experience portfolio in his Faculty. He was appointed University Director of International Recruitment and Development (2015-17) and Associate Vice President (International) where he led Sussex's international portfolio from 2019 to 2022. In January 2023, Follett joined the University of Exeter as Vice President (Global).