Ken is a professor in the School of Social and Political Sciences in the subject area of Urban Studies. He is also Director of Policy Scotland, and co-director of What Works Scotland co-funded by ESRC and Scottish Government. He has been a full time member of staff at the University in various guises since 1989. He was an ESRC research fellow until his appointment as a lecturer in 1994. After becoming a senior lecturer in 1999 and a Reader in 2001, he became a professor in 2006. Ken was also Head of the Department of Urban Studies from 2005 to 2010 and associate dean of the Faculty of Law, Business and Social Sciences in 2009-10. Ken is also the Director of Policy Scotland, the University hub for policy research and knowledge exchange. Ken's research interests are focused on the economic, financial and policy dimensions of housing. He has carried out research for government departments, ESRC, Jospeh Rowntree Foundation, trade bodies, the private sector and international organisations like OECD. His current interests are on the financing and economics of social and affordable housing, and, the application of behavioural economics to housing. Ken has been the managing editor of the Urban Studies journal and is a trustee of the Urban Studies Foundation. He is immediate past president of RC43 (housing) of the International Sociological Association and is a former president of the European Real Estate Society. He sits on four editorial advisorial boards. He was a visiting professor to the University of Amsterdam in 2011. He has recently acted as advisor to the Scottish Parliament's Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee and has also worked for the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform Committee. Ken has given evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee, Local Government Committee and the Social Security Committee (previously welfare reform), as well as the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster. After a period on the national board of Sanctuary Housing Association, Ken is currently the Chair of Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association.