WISERD 2013 Annual Conference

Wales' largest social science conference will take place next week at The University of South Wales.

Now in its fourth year, the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) Annual Conference is an important event in the social science calendar; bringing practitioners, policy makers and social scientists together to discuss and debate themes such as health; social care; education; identity & place; environment; labour markets; policing; research methods; and the Census.

Academic and non-academic researchers from a diverse range of disciplines will share their research at the conference, aimed at people concerned with social, economic and political issues in contemporary Wales, with over 80 papers being presented.

Headlining the two-day conference this year are three keynotes speakers: Professor Lindsay Paterson, Professor Laura McAllister and Professor David Martin.

Professor Lindsay Paterson, Professor of Educational Policy in the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, will be the first to address the 150+ audience. His presentation will use the special case of Scotland to assess the general debate about the components of the ideology of language and national identity.

Having held the position of Chair at Sport Wales since 2010, Professor Laura McAllister, Professor of Governance at the University of Liverpool's School of Management, will discuss the challenges of leading a national organisation and will present her latest research on devolution in Wales.

Professor David Martin, Co-Director of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods and UK Data Service, will deliver his presentation reviewing progress of the 2011 Census and will set out to explore the research challenges presented by a future Beyond 2011 data landscape.  He will address the implications for the social science research community of ending the conventional Census by presenting both exciting opportunities and massive challenges.

This year attendees will have the unique opportunity to take part in a special Census strand.  The strand features the keynote speech from Professor Martin and includes sessions on the Welsh Language & the Census and the Beyond 2011 (Census) Programme with the Welsh Government.

WISERD Director, Professor Gareth Rees, expressed his delight at the line up for this year's conference:  'It is an honour to have such distinguished and notable keynote speakers at this prominent event in the social science calendar in Wales. The Welsh Government Census session is a great opportunity for this year's attendees and a fantastic addition to the conference programme. We are delighted to have surpassed bookings from previous years and look forward to welcoming all speakers and delegates from a broad spectrum of sectors'.

WISERD is a collaborative venture between the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea.  Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of Wales (HEFCW) and the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to draw together and build upon the existing expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and methodologies.  Established in 2009, WISERD undertakes research and capacity building activities that underpin research infrastructure in the economic and social sciences across Wales and beyond.

The WISERD 2013 Annual Conference will take place on Tuesday 25^th and Wednesday 26^th June at the Glamorgan Conference Centre at the University of South Wales, Treforest.