Born 1944. Educated at Oxford University (B.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics) and London School of Economics (M.Sc. in Sociology). Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Lancaster. Appointed in 1968 as a Research Officer in a Unit specializing in town planning research in the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College, London. Moved to a lectureship in sociology at the University of Lancaster in 1970, then Professor of Sociology and subsequently Deputy Vice-Chancellor from 1995 to 2004. Now retired and Emeritus Professor.