The BSA has expressed its sadness at the death of Professor Rosemary Deem, who died on 20 August, aged 77.

Professor Deem was an expert on higher education management and gender inequalities in education, and had a successful career in university management.

Rosemary Deem received a BA (Hons) in social science in 1970 and an MPhil in sociology in 1973 from the University of Leicester. She held temporary posts at the universities of Leicester, Loughborough and York from 1972 to 1975.

She was a lecturer in sociology at North Staffordshire Polytechnic from 1975 to 1979, then moved to the Open University from 1980 to 1991, before taking up a post at Lancaster University, where she was Professor of Educational Research from 1991 to 2000, Dean of Social Sciences from 1994 to 1997, and founding Director of its Graduate School from 1998 to 2000.

After working at the University of Bristol as Professor of Education from 2001 to 2009, she moved to Royal Holloway University of London as Dean of its Faculty of History and Social Sciences from 2009 to 2011, and Vice-Principal (Education) from 2011.

She held various other posts, including Chair of the Research Committee of the Universities Council on the Education of Teachers from 1991 to 1993 and member of Council of the British Educational Research Association 1993 to 1997.

Professor Deem was also Chair of the British Sociological Association from 1986 to 1987 and from 1994 to 1996, and Vice-Chair of the Society for Research into High Education from 2007 to 2009. She was a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to higher education and social sciences.

She was joint Managing Editor of The Sociological Review from 2001 to 2005, and Co-Editor of Higher Education journal from 2013.

Her books include Knowledge, Higher Education and the New Managerialism: The Changing Management of UK Universities, (2007, with Sam Hillyard and Mike Reed); Active Citizenship and the Governing of Schools (1995, with Kevin Brehony and Sue Heath); and All Work and No Play?: Sociology of Women and Leisure (1986).

The BSA will publish a fuller tribute to Professor Deem in our members magazine, Network.