Profile

Campbell is Associate Professor in the sociology of race and inclusion at the University of Leicester, Visiting Professor at the University of South Wales and the Open University, and National Teaching Fellow. Prior to this, Paul was the Inaugural Director of the University of Leicester Institute for Inclusivity in HE.

Over the last 15 years, Paul has emerged as one of the UK's leading voices on race and social justice in sport and in Higher Education. His work spans the experiences and constructions of Black female and male athletes in local and professional football and, more recently, in media and digital environments. It also responds to equity gaps for minoritised undergraduates in UK universities.

A multiple award-winning academic, Paul's first book on race and local football won the British Sociology Association’s Philip Abrams Prize for best debut sociology book in 2017 and his latest book, 'Race and Assessment in HE', won the British Education Research Association book of the year for 2025.

Paul is Academic Advisor for the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes (TASO) and supports over 20 UK universities in addressing racial inequalities in their curricular and assessment processes and policies. Paul is also lead editor of Routledge’s ‘Critical Research in Race and Sport’ and Emerald’s ‘Critical Studies in Inclusion, Practice and Impact’, book series.

 

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