Peter Golding was made an Emeritus Professor of Northumbria University in 2015 when he retired having been Pro-Vice-Chancellor there since 2010. Previously he had been Professor of Sociology at Loughborough University including terms as Head of the Department of Social Sciences between 1990 and 2006, and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research from 2006 to 2010. He has also held Visiting Professorships at the University of Newcastle and in Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan, and Brazil
Professor Golding was Chair of the 2008 and 2014 REF panels for communication, media and cultural studies having previously served as a member of the equivalent bodies in the 1996 and 2001 RAEs. He has played a major role representing the field including holding roles with the ESRC, HEFCE, European Sociological Association, and European Science Foundation. Professor Golding was the founding Chair of the Standing Conference on Cultural, Communications and Media Studies from 1983-1999 and has since been Honorary Secretary of its successor body MeCCSA, the current subject association.
Professor Golding's research interests are in media sociology generally, journalism, media political economy, social inequality, international communications, new media, and media constructs of public and social policy. Peter is a longstanding Editor of the European Journal of Communication. His latest monograph is Communications and Inequality. His previous books include The Mass Media; Making The News; Images of Welfare; The Political Economy of the Mass Media; and Cultural Studies in Question.