Simon Hix joined LSE in 1997, was promoted to Professor in 2004, was Head of the Department of Government between 2012 and 2015 and Academic Director of the LSE School of Public Policy between 2017 and 2019, and then became the LSE Pro-Director for Research in 2019. Simon took his undergraduate and masters degrees at the LSE and his PhD at the European University Institute, in Florence. Simon is one of the leading researchers, teachers, and commentators on European and comparative politics in the UK. His research focuses on EU institutions and democratic accountability, party competition and electoral behavior, and the design and reform of political institutions. Simon has published over 100 books and articles. Simon regularly gives evidence to committees in the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the European Parliament, and he has advised the UK Cabinet Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under both Labor and Conservative administrations. He has held visiting professor positions at many universities, including Stanford, Berkeley, UC San Diego, Sciences Po in Paris, the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy in Seoul.
