Des McNulty was Dean for Public Policy and Assistant Vice Principal for civic engagement and place leadership at the University of Glasgow, 2016-2021. As Vice Chair of the Glasgow Commission for Economic Growth and member of the Regional Economic Partnership Board, he works with the Glasgow city region on implementing its economic development, skills, and inclusive innovation strategies. He is an Honorary Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University and an OECD consultant

Before joining Glasgow University, Des was an elected member of the Scottish Parliament, where he served as Minister for Social Justice and as Chair of the Parliament’s Finance Committee. He has also had senior leadership roles in local government. He is Chair of the UKRI-funded Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub Advisory Board at the University of Birmingham. His recent publications include papers on place leadership and collaboration, child poverty in Glasgow, and HE/FE futures in Scotland. He is a member of the NIHR-funded Glasgow Health Determinants Research Collaborative.