New director for Child of the New Century

We are pleased to announce that Professor Morag Henderson has been appointed the new director of Child of the New Century.

CNC’s previous director, Professor Emla Fitzsimons, has stepped down after 11 years to become Director of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, the organisation that runs CNC and other studies like it. We wish Emla the very best of luck in her new role.

Morag is a Professor of Sociology at University College London. She also leads a study called Next Steps, which follows a generation of millennials in England who were born in 1989-90. Morag has used data CNC in her own research about inequalities in education, including how your educational attainment was shaped by the schools you went to and your parents own educational qualifications.

Morag said:

“I am so proud to be appointed director of Child of the New Century. The incredible contributions that study members and their families have been making for over two decades has helped the study become a vital source of evidence on the lives of gen Z across the UK. It is an honour and a privilege to lead the study into its next phase.

I am joining at a very exciting time for the study. The data from the Age 23 Survey has just been made available to researchers around the world. I can’t wait to see the important research that comes from it. My first priority as the new Director will be preparing the next survey, which is scheduled to take place in 2027. I will be keen to hear from our study members about what issues are most important to them now they’re entering their late 20s.”

Find out more about the rest of the CNC team on our Meet the Team page.