Our team
Paul Heywood holds the Sir Francis Hill Chair of Politics at the University of Nottingham and has been researching corruption and corruption reform for some 30 years. The author, co-author, or editor of many books, journal articles and book chapters on corruption, Paul has been a leader since 2015 of a major Department for International Development (DFID)/ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded research programme Governance and Integrity Anti Corruption Evidence (GI ACE), designed to deliver new research on ‘what works’ to tackle specific corruption issues in developing countries. He has also been closely involved with the work of Transparency International, both as a Trustee of the UK chapter and as a member of its International Council. Paul has argued for many years that we should get away from a fixation on corruption as a problem best analysed, measured and tackled at national level. Instead, we need a more sophisticated understanding of how and why different types of corruption develop in specific contexts, as well as more targeted and politically informed approaches to tackling particular types of corruption rather than generic ‘solutions’ based on cookie-cutter descriptions of ‘best practice’.
Liz David-Barrett is Professor of Governance and Integrity at the University of Sussex and Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption. Her research focuses on corruption risks at the interface of business and government, including in state capture, public procurement and bribery in international business – and on approaches to countering these risks, including transnational governance networks in law enforcement and investigative journalism. Recent co-edited books include the Dictionary of Corruption (2023, Agenda, with Robert Barrington, Rebecca Dobson Phillips and Georgia Garrod) and Understanding Corruption: How Corruption Works in Practice (2022, Agenda, with Robert Barrington, Sam Power and Dan Hough). Liz engages widely with anti-corruption practitioners globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Europe, and has advised the UK government and the G20 on their international anti-corruption work. Before becoming an academic, Liz worked as a journalist in the Balkans for The Economist and Financial Times. In 2022-23, she was Head of the Global Programme on Measuring Corruption at the International Anti-Corruption Academy. She has a DPhil, MSc and MA from the University of Oxford and an MA from the University of London.
Robert Barrington is Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex. His research focuses on global corruption trends and corruption in developed economies, and he lectures on the Masters in Corruption & Governance. He was formerly the head of Transparency International (TI) in the UK, and Chair of TI’s International Council. At TI, he led the campaigns to secure the Bribery Act, a national Anti-Corruption Strategy for the UK and the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders. Previous roles include Director of Governance & Sustainable Investment at F&C Asset Management, overseeing Europe’s leading ESG funds, and CEO (Europe) of the Earthwatch Institute in Oxford.
Robert has been a long-term adviser to the UK government on subjects including the Bribery Act, export credits, the post-Brexit procurement regime and Free Trade Agreements, and has served on multiple boards and advisory committees ranging from The Environment Council to the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Good Governance. He is Deputy Chair of the Taskforce on Business Ethics and the Legal Profession convened by the Institute for Business Ethics. He writes extensively in the media and appears as an expert commentator on major news and current affairs programmes including BBC Radio 4 Today, BBC World Service, Sky News, Al-Jazeera and LBC. Publications include a ‘Dictionary of Corruption’, ‘Understanding Corruption’, ‘How to Bribe’ and ‘Adequate Procedures – Guidance to the UK Bribery Act’. He is currently researching a comprehensive overview of corruption in the UK due for publication in 2026. He holds an undergraduate degree from Oxford University and a PhD from the European University Institute.
Becky is Assistant Professor in Politics at the Centre for the Study of Corruption based at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on corruption, integrity and public standards, with an emphasis on relationships of power, to explore the foundations of effective, legitimate and just forms of governance. She also has an interest in environmental politics and is developing a research project on the potential of democratic innovations that promote public participation to serve anti-corruption functions.
Prior to entering academia, Becky worked as a researcher and writer for a range of national and international organisations. She collaborated on research projects across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and has had a long-term involvement in corruption research and anti-corruption work globally, working at the Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin and with the UNCAC Coalition in Vienna.
Georgia Garrod is Programme Manager of the Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme (GI ACE). She has previously worked as a researcher at the Centre for the Study of Corruption and the Institute of Business Ethics, and supported the investigations team at Transparency International UK. Georgia co-edited the Dictionary of Corruption (2023, Agenda, with Robert Barrington, Liz Dávid-Barrett and Rebecca Dobson Philips) and was a contributing author to Understanding Corruption: How Corruption Works in Practice (2022, Agenda, Robert Barrington, Liz Dávid-Barrett, Sam Power and Dan Hough). Georgia holds a BA in French and Spanish and an MA in Corruption and Governance from the University of Sussex.
Suzana is the Communications Manager for the GI ACE programme at the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex. She leads strategic communications and stakeholder engagement to amplify the reach and policy impact of GI ACE’s anti-corruption research. She brings over seven years of experience in communications, marketing, and partnerships across the education and development sectors. Prior to GI ACE, she led marketing and communications for the Online Distance Learning School at the University of Sussex, Learnio, and Wedu Global, and has organised several youth-focused conferences in partnership with UNDP, Hanyang University and Asian Institute of Technology.
Aya Eldeeb is Programme Officer at the Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme (GI ACE) and the Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC) at the University of Sussex. Aya’s background is in the humanitarian and development sectors, having previously worked with UNHCR and the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States. Her experience in these fields sparked a strong interest in governance, transparency, and the practical challenges of reform in complex environments. She holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Relations from the University of Sussex.
Tom Shipley is a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC) where he is embedded in the GI ACE programme. His research is focused on state capture in Sub-Saharan Africa and the role of international financial and development institutions in supporting anti-corruption reform.
Tom started his career at Transparency International and subsequently worked on complex investigations into corruption and money laundering in the private sector. For his PhD at the CSC, Tom has undertaken the first comprehensive analysis of how development organisations assess the effectiveness and impact of their anti-corruption programming. He has additionally conducted research and analysis for a range of organisations on countering corruption, including the Kenya and UK governments, GIZ, the Natural Resource Governance Institute, Transparency International, the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, USAID, and the World Bank.
Tom holds a BA in French and History from the University of Warwick, an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King's College London, and an MSc in Social Research Methods from the University of Sussex.
Devi Pillay is a research fellow in the GI ACE programme. She is an interdisciplinary social scientist and has worked extensively on corruption and state capture in South Africa and across the continent. She was previously based at the Public Affairs Research Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa and as an analyst for the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture while it was active between 2018 and 2022. She has worked with a number of civil society and multi-stakeholder groups developing and advocating for anti-corruption reforms, and as an advisor to ZAM Magazine’s investigative journalism network for their work on kleptocracy. She has authored a number of research reports and was a contributing author to State Capture: How and Why it Happened (2023, Wits University Press, Buthelezi & Vale). Devi holds an MA in history from the University of Witwatersrand and a BA in politics and history from Utrecht University.
Helen Cutts is a Research Finance Officer at the University of Sussex with extensive experience supporting research finance across several leading UK universities, including the University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, Heriot-Watt University, and King’s College London. She specialises in managing complex research budgets, ensuring compliance with funder requirements, and providing strategic financial support to academic teams.
With a strong track record in higher education finance, she is passionate about enabling impactful research through clear, accurate, and efficient financial processes. She enjoys working collaboratively across departments to support innovation and deliver value through sound financial management.
The Anti-Corruption Evidence (ACE) programme delivers practical, policy-relevant research on how to address corruption, illicit financial flows, and serious organised crime. Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through its Research and Evidence Directorate (RED), ACE began in 2015 and has been extended to 2027.
The programme comprises three independent but complementary research streams – Governance & Integrity ACE (GI ACE), SOAS ACE, and Serious Organised Crime ACE (SOC ACE).
Each is designed to produce high-quality, long-term research that serves as a global public good. Together, these programmes generate rigorous evidence to inform strategy, policy, and programming within FCDO, across the UK government, and internationally.
Each component focuses on distinct thematic areas, building a comprehensive evidence base to support effective anti-corruption reform.
Governance & Integrity ACE (GI ACE)
Researches illicit finance, enablers, corruption in emergency measures, trade and state capture and is led by Professor Paul Heywood, University of Sussex / University of Nottingham.
SOAS ACE
Researches anti-corruption in infrastructure, power, health, education, climate change investments, digital government service delivery and political corruption and is led by Professor Mushtaq Khan, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Serious Organised Crime ACE (SOC ACE)
Researches organised crime, illicit finance, klepocracy and transnational threats and is led by Professor Heather Marquette, University of Birmingham.
Our programme
Why we exist
Conventional, top-down approaches to tackling corruption – focused heavily on technical and regulatory fixes – have often failed to deliver meaningful results.
GI ACE was created to offer a different approach: one that recognises the complexity of corruption and the importance of political, institutional, and social context. Our programme supports world-class research that is operationally relevant, problem-driven, and designed to inform more effective anti-corruption strategies on the ground.
We work closely with researchers to ensure their findings are rigorous and actionable – and communicated in ways that directly support practitioners working to design and implement lasting reform.
Global finance and the enablers of corruption
Crisis responses and corruption in vunerable sectors
Corruption risks in global trade and commerce
State capture
Sectors and institutions
Integrity systems
Our approach to impact
GI ACE is designed to be more than the sum of its individual projects. While producing high-quality research is essential, our goal is to ensure that this evidence contributes meaningfully to real-world anti-corruption efforts. Despite decades of research, fundamental questions remain: what works to reduce corruption – and in which contexts? To help answer these questions, evidence must reach those who are actively designing and implementing solutions across sectors and settings.
GI ACE’s Theory of Change recognises the central role researchers play in generating rigorous, relevant evidence. But it also recognises that impact depends on relationships. That’s why we support researchers to engage with practitioners from the outset – ensuring the work is grounded in real-world challenges and that practitioners are well-positioned to apply the findings. When researchers and reformers work together, the result is research that not only informs -but enables – change.
Explore the GI ACE Brochure
Get an in-depth look at how GI ACE is generating evidence to tackle corruption in real-world contexts.
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