Robin Hambleton, British scholar of American urban policies and city governments, joined UIC as the new dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs in July 2002.

For much of his career, which spans more than twenty-five years, Hambleton has been engaged in transatlantic comparative research on urban and public affairs. Five of his 10 books have explored the topic, as have many of his two hundred-plus published articles.

As associate dean in the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of the West of England since 1995, Hambleton took the lead in developing a research culture. He also helped create five new research centers, including the multifaculty Center for Local Democracy, where he also served as the director.

Prior to his academic career, Hambleton worked as a public policy professional in United Kingdom central government and several inner-city local authorities, including London, Manchester, and Newcastle.

"Throughout my career, I have attempted to link academic analysis to the world of policy and practice," said Hambleton. "And, I have also been fascinated by the possibilities for expanding cross-national comparative urban research."

Hambleton's areas of research include local political leadership, community involvement, urban regeneration, public management, local democracy, policy planning, and public service delivery. He has advised approximately fifty UK local authorities, the Prime Minister's Policy Unit, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union Committee of the Regions, and local governments in the United States and New Zealand.

He is chair of the European Urban Research Association and served on the International Advisory Committee of the UK Economic and Social Research Council. He won a Fulbright scholarship to study U.S. city government in 1988.

Hambleton received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in town and regional planning from Sheffield University in 1968 and 1971, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in social science, with a focus on public management, in 1988 from the University of Bristol.